Bang!
The black runic arrow seemed to struggle ferociously whilst it was strung on the bow, much like an irate thunder dragon that was keen to let loose. Li Luo was now at full strength and ready to strike.
The resonant power within his body flowed out without reserve, suppressing the raging thunder coming from the arrow.
"Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon's Body, Nine Dragon's Might! Four Sonic Pulses!" Li Luo shouted in his heart as the sigil on his forehead spilled out copious amounts of radiant light. His heart crackled with lightning as the Sonic Pulses elevated his body to the highest limit he could handle.
Four Sonic Pulses thumped rhythmically within his body, each one causing his flesh and blood to tremble before reaching its strongest state.
The Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow was a fifth-grade Royal Engraving, so it possessed frightening strength. Normal bows could not contain its power, but Li Luo's Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow was different. It was unafraid of the wild erosion from the lightning, and the seemingly fragile bowstring was like a lock that could seal even dragons, perfectly capable of containing the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow's power.
Li Luo did not plan to hold back in any way against Zhao Shenjiang—his intention was to kill with this shot.
He released the bowstring without hesitation. A thunder dragon capable of absolute devastation pierced through the sky with incomprehensible speed.
The sight caused the eyes of the four-pearls who were watching the fight to widen. The dragon simply moved so fast that there was no place to hide.
Even though they were a distance away, it was almost as if they could feel the raw power that was hidden within the runic arrow.
How could Zhao Shenjiang block this?
Before the crowd's surprised eyes, Zhao Shenjiang's expression had turned solemn as well. He could only see a trace of the bolt of lightning arcing through the skies as he felt a sharpness on his forehead before the arrow had even landed. He was sure that with his strength alone, he would die if he was struck.
However, if Li Luo had the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow, how could he, as the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's prodigy, not have his own life-saving methods?
Zhao Shenjiang used the tip of the spear to slice a line through his palm, causing him to bleed. However, a mote of light flew out of the wound, transforming into a jade tablet.
When the jade tablet appeared, numerous ancient runes could be seen on it, which then began to absorb blood essence from Zhao Shenjiang himself. Its color gradually became crimson.
As the jade tablet soared in the air, countless runes were projected out of it and took the shape of a shield. It was floating between him and the arrow.
Bang!
The runic arrow whizzed through the skies and struck the jade tablet's shield.
Bang!
That momentary collision released an ear-rending boom, and berserk energy undulations washed over the battlefield. The eyes of everyone watching shrunk, and even some of the five-pearl cultivators felt their minds go blank. The result was unimaginable considering that this was a battle between a Fiend Finisher and a two-pearl.
Li Luo frowned as he observed the point of the collision, where energy continued to rage. He had seen Zhao Shenjiang activate the jade tablet, which seemed to contain a Royal Engraving as well. This should have been his trump card to save his life.
"All within expectations, I suppose," Li Luo mumbled to himself. Although he had wished to use the slaughtering prowess of the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow to get rid of Zhao Shenjiang, he expected a chosen one from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao to have a method to protect his own life.
This attack could not have been said to be useless. At the very least, Zhao Shenjiang had been forced to activate one of his protective measures.
Li Luo waved his hand, and the runic arrow returned to him, landing in his grasp.
After using the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow once, the runes had dimmed significantly. This was a fifth-grade Royal Engraving and was considered a consumable item. Based on Li Luo's expectations, just a few more uses would completely exhaust all of its stored power.
He put the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow away as after each usage, the thunder resonant power had to be replenished before he could summon its explosive abilities yet again.
Then he lifted his head and glanced at Zhao Shenjiang, who now looked incomparably gloomy. His jade tablet had turned dim, and even a fine crack could be seen in it.
"Damn it!" Seeing the crack on the tablet was like feeling his heart crack the same way. Zhao Shenjiang's gaze was flooded with murderous killing intent as he had received the jade tablet from an elder. It had to be nurtured with his blood essence and was capable of protecting him in times of danger. However, Li Luo's savage blow had damaged the foundation of the jade tablet, so it would not be usable for a long time.
"Die for me, Li Luo!" Zhao Shenjiang bellowed as he waved his Heavy Mountain Spear once more. Spear manifestations appeared, transforming into nine gigantic mountains that pressed down upon Li Luo yet again.
Li Luo remained calm, wielding the Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow. He drew the bowstring, and nine arrows of light were formed, each one shining with all the splendor of a rainbow.
They swished through the air when he released them and punctured each of the nine manifestations.
With a triple violet-eye treasured artifact in hand, Li Luo possessed immense strength in battle, and each arrow of light was equivalent to the full strength strike of a two-pearl.
After boring through each of the nine mountain manifestations, Li Luo shot even more arrows, each one puncturing through the void like a zooming meteor, shooting right at Zhao Shenjiang with the intention to harm.
Zhao Shenjiang grasped his Heavy Mountain Spear, adeptly smashing every arrow that came towards him so quickly that afterimages were left in his wake.
However, every arrow that was smashed brought about an incisive pain to his body. He could only frown darkly in response. Li Luo's bow was simply of a higher grade compared to his Heavy Mountain Spear, so he had to pay a price to defend himself.
"That bow isn't bad. Once I kill you, it'll be mine!" A hint of greed could be seen in his eyes that were previously only full of killing intent. At the same time, he understood from the previous exchanges that Li Luo was even more of a prickly opponent than he had ever expected. Although he was only a Fiend Finisher, he was no weaker than some of the most prodigious one-pearls due to the aid of his triple resonances.
"It’s no wonder how you managed to defeat Li Qingfeng and become the Dragon's Head of this generation. Regardless, I am not a weakling like him. You will grovel beneath my feet very soon. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will always be ahead of your pathetic bloodline." Zhao Shenjiang took a step forward and let go of the Heavy Mountain Spear. He then clasped his hands together and formed a series of hand seals.
With each hand seal, worldly natural energy rumbled and a torrent of energy visible to the naked eye converged upon Zhao Shenjiang's body without end.
With the infusion of worldly natural energy, Zhao Shenjiang's body then began to expand at a monstrous rate, and the flesh on his right arm seemed to squirm. The next moment, the entire limb had transformed into an azure dragon’s claw. His left arm had turned into a white tiger's paw. A moment later, the rest of his body also began to contort and warp, turning into the body parts of different beasts. Zhao Shenjiang was now emanating a savage and fiendish aura. He had become an abomination stitched together from a myriad of beasts.
Not far away, Jiang Wanyu, who was watching Zhao Shenjiang transform, had a heavy expression on her face. Information about Zhao Shenjiang flashed through her mind.
"This is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art: Myriad Beasts Devil God Body. I can’t believe Zhao Shenjiang managed to cultivate it successfully. I heard that it requires one to fuse with a hundred beasts' blood and souls. The art condenses a monstrous amount of evil energy within the user’s heart, and one's mind might be eroded and destroyed by it if they are not careful. In the past, numerous geniuses from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao coveted the power of this Duke Art but were corrupted by the evil energy, turning them into mindless beasts. Some were even irreversibly paralyzed. It seems that Zhao Shenjiang has treated himself very viciously."
Some of the juniors from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College heard her words, and their gazes flashed with fear. Despite how far they were from him, they could sense the savage and devilish aura he gave off.
It was possible that he was stronger than the average four-pearl rogue cultivator. This was the advantage that being from a Heavenly Emperor power provided—the ability to battle above one’s cultivation level.
"Now that Zhao Shenjiang has pulled out all the stops, does that mean that Li Luo can't hold on any longer?" a female junior asked.
Jiang Wanyu shook her head. "That might not be the case."
Her gaze was now firmly fixed upon Li Luo. At this moment, she could feel a sense of sharpness coming from Li Luo's body, one that made her heart palpitate in fear.
This mysterious undulation seemed to give off a sense of threat that surpassed even Zhao Shenjiang's Myriad Beasts Devil God Body.
Li Luo immediately activated his energy wings and soared into the sky, closely observing the fiendish Zhao Shenjiang. He had a strange look in his eyes as he assessed his opponent. “This fellow might be arrogant, but he is truly strong. Stronger than Li Qingfeng to boot.”
"Sigh. If it wasn't for me, this generation would have been firmly suppressed by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. What a pity..." Li Luo mumbled to himself as he activated the resonant power within his body yet again. With the mottled ancient blade in hand, he sliced open the void and created a crack in space. A moment later, rushing sounds of water could be heard as a black dragon that surfed along frigid, dark waters appeared, ferociously baring its claws and fangs as it attempted to attack Zhao Shenjiang.
"The Underworld River's Black Dragon Banner again?" Jiang Wanyu frowned when she saw Li Luo activating the same Duke Art as before. How could a Communion-grade Duke Art threaten Zhao Shenjiang? Could it be that the sense of danger she felt from Li Luo was a misunderstanding?
"Haha! Li Luo! You really are a peasant from the outer divine continent. You seem to wholeheartedly rely on a single Communion-grade Duke Art." Zhao Shenjiang cackled as he formed a fist with the azure dragon's claw, striking in retaliation. Roar!
That simple attack seemed to blast the void to pieces with a single motion. Space seemed to collapse as a terrifying force struck the black dragon directly.
Bang!
The black dragon's gargantuan body instantly began to shatter, turning into motes of light.
It was as Jiang Wanyu expected. The Underworld River's Black Dragon Banner was unable to threaten the current Zhao Shenjiang.
However, Li Luo seemed strangely calm, the corner of his lips lightly lifted into a callous smirk as he formed a hand seal with a single hand. With that, the dissipating black dragon suddenly opened its maw, and a stream of black dragonbreath shot towards Zhao Shenjiang.
Zhao Shenjiang smiled coldly. He had originally planned to disregard this feeble counterattack, but his body began blaring with warning signs, bursting forth with a piercing pain that seemed to signal his impending death.
Cold sweat erupted from his pores as his gaze reflected the incoming dragonbreath. At this moment, he could feel that the seemingly weak dragonbreath was hiding a metaphorical dagger in the dark. It was concealing absolutely frightening undulations of power.
It was something even his Myriad Beasts Devil God Body was unable to resist.
Li Luo, that scammer! He had used the cover of a Communion-grade Duke Art to obfuscate his true killing move! Zhao Shenjiang howled as all of the beasts he had fused with came to life, all similarly roaring in tandem. A series of sound waves that looked to have taken physical form spread out from his body.
The sound waves were able to dissolve the dragonbreath, finally revealing the true ace that was hidden beneath. It was a slightly curved, light-blue sword manifestation resembling a dragon's fang.
The sword manifestation tore through the void silently, but every location it passed through was cut cleanly, leaving behind dark traces. It was like a hot knife cutting through butter.
Nothing was capable of stopping it.
When Zhao Shenjiang finally noticed the Dragon Fang Sword, Jiang Wanyu similarly discovered it as well. Her usual, cold expression had turned into one full of surprise as she observed it.
The sword manifestation gave one an indescribable sense of purity when they laid their eyes upon it.
At this moment, her heart knew that the light-blue Dragon Fang Sword was Li Luo's hidden ace. Perhaps this was how Li Luo had managed to triumph over Li Qingfeng and obtain the position of Dragon's Head.
Bang!
The black runic arrow seemed to struggle ferociously whilst it was strung on the bow, much like an irate thunder dragon that was keen to let loose. Li Luo was now at full strength and ready to strike.
The resonant power within his body flowed out without reserve, suppressing the raging thunder coming from the arrow.
"Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon's Body, Nine Dragon's Might! Four Sonic Pulses!" Li Luo shouted in his heart as the sigil on his forehead spilled out copious amounts of radiant light. His heart crackled with lightning as the Sonic Pulses elevated his body to the highest limit he could handle.
Four Sonic Pulses thumped rhythmically within his body, each one causing his flesh and blood to tremble before reaching its strongest state.
The Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow was a fifth-grade Royal Engraving, so it possessed frightening strength. Normal bows could not contain its power, but Li Luo's Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow was different. It was unafraid of the wild erosion from the lightning, and the seemingly fragile bowstring was like a lock that could seal even dragons, perfectly capable of containing the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow's power.
Li Luo did not plan to hold back in any way against Zhao Shenjiang—his intention was to kill with this shot.
He released the bowstring without hesitation. A thunder dragon capable of absolute devastation pierced through the sky with incomprehensible speed.
The sight caused the eyes of the four-pearls who were watching the fight to widen. The dragon simply moved so fast that there was no place to hide.
Even though they were a distance away, it was almost as if they could feel the raw power that was hidden within the runic arrow.
How could Zhao Shenjiang block this?
Before the crowd's surprised eyes, Zhao Shenjiang's expression had turned solemn as well. He could only see a trace of the bolt of lightning arcing through the skies as he felt a sharpness on his forehead before the arrow had even landed. He was sure that with his strength alone, he would die if he was struck.
However, if Li Luo had the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow, how could he, as the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's prodigy, not have his own life-saving methods?
Zhao Shenjiang used the tip of the spear to slice a line through his palm, causing him to bleed. However, a mote of light flew out of the wound, transforming into a jade tablet.
When the jade tablet appeared, numerous ancient runes could be seen on it, which then began to absorb blood essence from Zhao Shenjiang himself. Its color gradually became crimson.
As the jade tablet soared in the air, countless runes were projected out of it and took the shape of a shield. It was floating between him and the arrow.
Bang!
The runic arrow whizzed through the skies and struck the jade tablet's shield.
Bang!
That momentary collision released an ear-rending boom, and berserk energy undulations washed over the battlefield. The eyes of everyone watching shrunk, and even some of the five-pearl cultivators felt their minds go blank. The result was unimaginable considering that this was a battle between a Fiend Finisher and a two-pearl.
Li Luo frowned as he observed the point of the collision, where energy continued to rage. He had seen Zhao Shenjiang activate the jade tablet, which seemed to contain a Royal Engraving as well. This should have been his trump card to save his life.
"All within expectations, I suppose," Li Luo mumbled to himself. Although he had wished to use the slaughtering prowess of the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow to get rid of Zhao Shenjiang, he expected a chosen one from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao to have a method to protect his own life.
This attack could not have been said to be useless. At the very least, Zhao Shenjiang had been forced to activate one of his protective measures.
Li Luo waved his hand, and the runic arrow returned to him, landing in his grasp.
After using the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow once, the runes had dimmed significantly. This was a fifth-grade Royal Engraving and was considered a consumable item. Based on Li Luo's expectations, just a few more uses would completely exhaust all of its stored power.
He put the Underworld Thunder Runic Arrow away as after each usage, the thunder resonant power had to be replenished before he could summon its explosive abilities yet again.
Then he lifted his head and glanced at Zhao Shenjiang, who now looked incomparably gloomy. His jade tablet had turned dim, and even a fine crack could be seen in it.
"Damn it!" Seeing the crack on the tablet was like feeling his heart crack the same way. Zhao Shenjiang's gaze was flooded with murderous killing intent as he had received the jade tablet from an elder. It had to be nurtured with his blood essence and was capable of protecting him in times of danger. However, Li Luo's savage blow had damaged the foundation of the jade tablet, so it would not be usable for a long time.
"Die for me, Li Luo!" Zhao Shenjiang bellowed as he waved his Heavy Mountain Spear once more. Spear manifestations appeared, transforming into nine gigantic mountains that pressed down upon Li Luo yet again.
Li Luo remained calm, wielding the Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow. He drew the bowstring, and nine arrows of light were formed, each one shining with all the splendor of a rainbow.
They swished through the air when he released them and punctured each of the nine manifestations.
With a triple violet-eye treasured artifact in hand, Li Luo possessed immense strength in battle, and each arrow of light was equivalent to the full strength strike of a two-pearl.
After boring through each of the nine mountain manifestations, Li Luo shot even more arrows, each one puncturing through the void like a zooming meteor, shooting right at Zhao Shenjiang with the intention to harm.
Zhao Shenjiang grasped his Heavy Mountain Spear, adeptly smashing every arrow that came towards him so quickly that afterimages were left in his wake.
However, every arrow that was smashed brought about an incisive pain to his body. He could only frown darkly in response. Li Luo's bow was simply of a higher grade compared to his Heavy Mountain Spear, so he had to pay a price to defend himself.
"That bow isn't bad. Once I kill you, it'll be mine!" A hint of greed could be seen in his eyes that were previously only full of killing intent. At the same time, he understood from the previous exchanges that Li Luo was even more of a prickly opponent than he had ever expected. Although he was only a Fiend Finisher, he was no weaker than some of the most prodigious one-pearls due to the aid of his triple resonances.
"It’s no wonder how you managed to defeat Li Qingfeng and become the Dragon's Head of this generation. Regardless, I am not a weakling like him. You will grovel beneath my feet very soon. The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao will always be ahead of your pathetic bloodline." Zhao Shenjiang took a step forward and let go of the Heavy Mountain Spear. He then clasped his hands together and formed a series of hand seals.
With each hand seal, worldly natural energy rumbled and a torrent of energy visible to the naked eye converged upon Zhao Shenjiang's body without end.
With the infusion of worldly natural energy, Zhao Shenjiang's body then began to expand at a monstrous rate, and the flesh on his right arm seemed to squirm. The next moment, the entire limb had transformed into an azure dragon’s claw. His left arm had turned into a white tiger's paw. A moment later, the rest of his body also began to contort and warp, turning into the body parts of different beasts. Zhao Shenjiang was now emanating a savage and fiendish aura. He had become an abomination stitched together from a myriad of beasts.
Not far away, Jiang Wanyu, who was watching Zhao Shenjiang transform, had a heavy expression on her face. Information about Zhao Shenjiang flashed through her mind.
"This is the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao's Soul Ascension-grade Duke Art: Myriad Beasts Devil God Body. I can’t believe Zhao Shenjiang managed to cultivate it successfully. I heard that it requires one to fuse with a hundred beasts' blood and souls. The art condenses a monstrous amount of evil energy within the user’s heart, and one's mind might be eroded and destroyed by it if they are not careful. In the past, numerous geniuses from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao coveted the power of this Duke Art but were corrupted by the evil energy, turning them into mindless beasts. Some were even irreversibly paralyzed. It seems that Zhao Shenjiang has treated himself very viciously."
Some of the juniors from the Heavenly Origin Ancient College heard her words, and their gazes flashed with fear. Despite how far they were from him, they could sense the savage and devilish aura he gave off.
It was possible that he was stronger than the average four-pearl rogue cultivator. This was the advantage that being from a Heavenly Emperor power provided—the ability to battle above one’s cultivation level.
"Now that Zhao Shenjiang has pulled out all the stops, does that mean that Li Luo can't hold on any longer?" a female junior asked.
Jiang Wanyu shook her head. "That might not be the case."
Her gaze was now firmly fixed upon Li Luo. At this moment, she could feel a sense of sharpness coming from Li Luo's body, one that made her heart palpitate in fear.
This mysterious undulation seemed to give off a sense of threat that surpassed even Zhao Shenjiang's Myriad Beasts Devil God Body.
Li Luo immediately activated his energy wings and soared into the sky, closely observing the fiendish Zhao Shenjiang. He had a strange look in his eyes as he assessed his opponent. “This fellow might be arrogant, but he is truly strong. Stronger than Li Qingfeng to boot.”
"Sigh. If it wasn't for me, this generation would have been firmly suppressed by the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. What a pity..." Li Luo mumbled to himself as he activated the resonant power within his body yet again. With the mottled ancient blade in hand, he sliced open the void and created a crack in space. A moment later, rushing sounds of water could be heard as a black dragon that surfed along frigid, dark waters appeared, ferociously baring its claws and fangs as it attempted to attack Zhao Shenjiang.
"The Underworld River's Black Dragon Banner again?" Jiang Wanyu frowned when she saw Li Luo activating the same Duke Art as before. How could a Communion-grade Duke Art threaten Zhao Shenjiang? Could it be that the sense of danger she felt from Li Luo was a misunderstanding?
"Haha! Li Luo! You really are a peasant from the outer divine continent. You seem to wholeheartedly rely on a single Communion-grade Duke Art." Zhao Shenjiang cackled as he formed a fist with the azure dragon's claw, striking in retaliation. Roar!
That simple attack seemed to blast the void to pieces with a single motion. Space seemed to collapse as a terrifying force struck the black dragon directly.
Bang!
The black dragon's gargantuan body instantly began to shatter, turning into motes of light.
It was as Jiang Wanyu expected. The Underworld River's Black Dragon Banner was unable to threaten the current Zhao Shenjiang.
However, Li Luo seemed strangely calm, the corner of his lips lightly lifted into a callous smirk as he formed a hand seal with a single hand. With that, the dissipating black dragon suddenly opened its maw, and a stream of black dragonbreath shot towards Zhao Shenjiang.
Zhao Shenjiang smiled coldly. He had originally planned to disregard this feeble counterattack, but his body began blaring with warning signs, bursting forth with a piercing pain that seemed to signal his impending death.
Cold sweat erupted from his pores as his gaze reflected the incoming dragonbreath. At this moment, he could feel that the seemingly weak dragonbreath was hiding a metaphorical dagger in the dark. It was concealing absolutely frightening undulations of power.
It was something even his Myriad Beasts Devil God Body was unable to resist.
Li Luo, that scammer! He had used the cover of a Communion-grade Duke Art to obfuscate his true killing move! Zhao Shenjiang howled as all of the beasts he had fused with came to life, all similarly roaring in tandem. A series of sound waves that looked to have taken physical form spread out from his body.
The sound waves were able to dissolve the dragonbreath, finally revealing the true ace that was hidden beneath. It was a slightly curved, light-blue sword manifestation resembling a dragon's fang.
The sword manifestation tore through the void silently, but every location it passed through was cut cleanly, leaving behind dark traces. It was like a hot knife cutting through butter.
Nothing was capable of stopping it.
When Zhao Shenjiang finally noticed the Dragon Fang Sword, Jiang Wanyu similarly discovered it as well. Her usual, cold expression had turned into one full of surprise as she observed it.
The sword manifestation gave one an indescribable sense of purity when they laid their eyes upon it.
At this moment, her heart knew that the light-blue Dragon Fang Sword was Li Luo's hidden ace. Perhaps this was how Li Luo had managed to triumph over Li Qingfeng and obtain the position of Dragon's Head.
