Li Luo was closely observing the Dragon's Fang Guardians, and he couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He estimated that with Guardian General Li Foluo in command, a formation with everyone’s power would be capable of contending against an eighth-grade Duke. It was no wonder the Five Guardian Armies were capable of fighting against a King when they gathered to form the Heavenly Dragon Grand Formation.
As expected of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li's strongest army.
Additionally, the way that the Dragon's Fang Guardians had come out in full force showed how important the World End's River Falling Star Terrace was to them.
"Since everyone has arrived, we can set off." Li Foluo's gaze swept across the group as his heroic voice boomed across the fields. He then grasped the Guardian General plaque and waved it. Immediately after, the energy mist in the sky frothed and surged downwards, turning into a layer of clouds that swept up all of the Dragon's Fang Guardians present.
It was as though they were riding on clouds.
After which, Li Foluo, Jiang Qing'e, Li Luo, and the rest soared into the air as they were whisked into the skies above Heavenly Dragon City. As the wind whistled past, the gigantic city beneath them shrank with explosive speed as they ascended.
After they reached a certain point in the sky, they could only see the golden scales of the protective s.h.i.+eld that encapsulated that entirety of Heavenly Dragon Peak.
When the Dragon's Fang Guardians came in contact with the golden scales of light, Li Luo felt a majestic wave sweep across him. It was clearly the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation scanning them.
After the wave swept past, the scene before Li Luo’s eyes transformed. Gold light flooded his vision and a gigantic, golden platform appeared before him.
The platform seemed to have been constructed with incandescent golden scales.
The Dragon's Fang Guardians then began to descend, and Li Luo realized that there were numerous individuals already present. There was a sea of people beneath, making it almost impossible to distinguish one person from another as a cacophony of noise arose.
When Li Luo scanned the crowd, he could make out numerous banners standing tall amidst the groups. "It's the rest of the Guardian Armies."
When the Dragon's Fang Guardians led by Li Foluo descended upon the golden platform, it attracted numerous gazes.
However, they were not focused on Li Foluo, but instead Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo, and whispers broke out.
The news of the humongous bet had already circulated throughout the Five Guardian Armies.
A loud, buzzing voice rang out when Li Foluo landed. "Li Foluo, I heard that the Dragon's Fang Guardians have managed to secure an unrivaled genius with a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried. When in the world did you get so lucky?"
Li Luo turned over and saw that these words had come from a burly man who resembled a bear. He was ma.s.sive, and golden light circulated under his skin. It made him seem like he had the physical prowess of a dragon. From time to time, his flesh and blood trembled, releasing the roars of dragons and tigers.
"This is the Dragon's Bone Guardians' Guardian General, Li Jushen. He possesses a Crocodile Dragon resonance and an earth resonance," First Grand Commander Xia Yu explained to Li Luo.
The Dragon's Bone Lineage focused on refining the body. Thus, their bodies emanated a crus.h.i.+ng sense of pressure, which was why Li Luo was able to easily guess what lineage the man was a part of.
"You must be the one with the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried, Jiang Qing'e. Do you want to join the Dragon's Scale Guardians? I'll even give you the position of Guardian General," said a harmonious female voice, laughing lightly at the end. She was dressed in white and had an enchanting appearance, giving off a pure and charming temperament. Her long hair draped down her back like a waterfall, reaching her slender waist. Just looking at her gave one a refres.h.i.+ng sort of feeling.
Her beautiful eyes curiously sized up Jiang Qing'e as she clicked her tongue in praise. "Truly unmatched in every sense of the word."
"That’s the Dragon's Scale Guardians' Guardian General. She has a Jade Dragon resonance and an illusion resonance," Xia Yu explained. At the same time, she took the initiative to point towards the Dragon's Horn Guardians. At their front was a long-haired man garbed in green. A green gourd inscribed with a golden toad hung on his waist.
"That is the Dragon's Horn Guardians' Guardian General, Li Boyuan. He has a Hornless Dragon resonance and a poison resonance. The Dragon's Fang Guardians are on relatively good terms with the Dragon's Scale and Dragon's Bone Guardians. There isn't much distinction between all of us and thus, there is no reason for anyone to take sides. This is the key difference between us and the Twenty Banners. The status of the Five Guardian Armies is, after all, special."
Li Luo nodded lightly. He could remember that in his time in the Twenty Banners, the Dragon's Horn and Dragon's Bone Lineages had been tied closely with Li Qingfeng. It seemed as though such a situation would not repeat here.
Li Zhihuo was indeed powerful, but he was far from being able to convince the rest of the Guardian Generals to side with him.
Li Foluo only flashed a quick look at the two, unwilling to bother with them. He then turned towards the Dragon's Blood Guardians, who were a little further away. Over there, Li Zhihuo was standing with his hands behind his back, looking into the skies instead of him.
There were numerous looks coming from the Dragon's Blood Guardians towards Jiang Qing'e and Li Luo. It could be said they weren't friendly. Thanks to Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque's influence, they thought that Li Luo allowing Li Hongyou to enter the Dragon's Fang Guardians was a breach of the rules.
That said, their gazes didn't matter to Li Luo nor Jiang Qing'e. The two parties had different stances, so it was useless to speak more about it. Everything would be resolved in due time.
Bang!
As all of the Five Guardian Armies had gathered, a resounding boom came above. Everyone raised their heads and saw the golden light gradually diffuse above them, fading away.
After the disappearance of the golden light, Li Luo's eyes shrank.
He could now see a mysterious, silvery-black river flow before him. It carried an inexplicable momentum that tramped through the firmament, creating mighty roars that could be heard a significant distance away, causing one's heart to tremble.
This was the World End's River.
The only thing was that it seemed even more mysterious and magnificent than when he had seen it from afar. The undulations coming from it were capable of striking fear in the hearts of Dukes.
Although Li Luo and the rest were within the protective confines of the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation, they felt like ants before a raging river when faced with the wonders of the world.
A while later, Li Luo and the rest finally snapped back to attention. They then realized that there were five gigantic, golden lotus platforms suspended above them. They were definitely large enough to fit ten thousand people.
"That is the Falling Star Terrace," Xia Yu explained to Li Luo. "When the World End's River Falling Star Terrace opens up for cultivation, there are two parts to the event. The first is called Star Plucking and the second is Star Transformation."
She then pointed towards the ma.s.sive World End's River that hung atop the formation. "When the time comes, the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation will direct a portion of the World End's River’s water towards us. The weight of it is immense, so a ball of it is akin to a meteor descending upon the world. Frankly, it's terrifying. Even a Duke would be hard-pressed to resist it. One's body might very well be smashed into pieces if hit directly. Thus, we have to form the Dragon Fang Formation and rely on everyone's strength as a whole to intercept it. We call the first part Star Plucking, which is when the Five Guardian Armies use their strength to obtain as many World End's River Meteors as possible. The more we get, the more we benefit. After Star Plucking is Star Transformation, which is when we purify the meteors. As the World End's River is connected to the Shadow World, the energy within it is infused with corruption. Although the Golden Dragonscale Cloud Formation is able to block significant amounts of corruption, some will inevitably remain behind. Thus, we must purify the meteors before we take what we need. The final aim is to obtain Star Pearls."
Li Luo was a little taken aback by everything she had told him. "Star Pearls?"
Xia Yu smiled. "Simply speaking, they are a product of the World End's River water. Each one is full of esoteric and pure worldly natural energy, extremely suitable for our cultivation needs. Once you have experienced it for yourself, you will grow to love them."
Li Luo revealed a smile as he raised his head to look at the flowing river above him. He would have to see how effective these Star Pearls were in improving his strength.
Hopefully, he would not be disappointed.