Li Fengyi was a little surprised to hear this. She thought about it for a moment and asked, "Are you referring to the Golden Stone Spirit Clam Pearl found in Golden Stone Valley? There is a magical item found in the Golden Stone Valley known as the Golden Stone Spirit Clam. They look a little like actual pieces of gold but also resemble rocks. They’re hidden in the toughest rocks in the deepest parts of the valley; even an ordinary Duke would have trouble breaking one open with brute strength. When water flows through the valley, it soaks into the golden stone. That is when the Golden Stone Spirit Clams emerge. They take in the golden water and nurture the golden pearls within them. This is the only chance to collect them. The golden pearls are extremely valuable as they’re a type of precious ingredient that can be used to craft high-grade Foundational Spirit Treasures. The Golden Stone Valley is quite a distance from Heavenly Dragon Peak. It's a hunting ground with no owner, so the situation is chaotic over there. There are many strong rogue cultivators that frequent the location as well. Every time the water flows through, a bloodbath ensues."
Li Fengyi frowned before she continued, "That area is far from Heavenly Dragon Peak's jurisdiction. In fact, it's close to the core grounds of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. As such, the Heavenly Dragon’s Five Guardian Armies seldom approach it."
"Oh? It's close to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao?" Li Luo frowned when he heard this. The relations.h.i.+p between the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao had always been very tense. There were countless grudges from both sides, and Li Luo had even killed Zhao Yan back in the Spiritual Resonance Cave.
"Third Brother, if it's not necessary, I recommend you avoid the area," Li Jingtao warned him.
Li Luo sighed helplessly. Unfortunately, this matter was urgent and essential.
"I think I've seen a mission for the Golden Stone Valley," Jiang Qing'e suddenly said.
"Yes, there are such missions. However, very few in the Five Guardian Armies will accept them, as the area is very dangerous." Li Fengyi replied. She opened her eyes wider and stared at Jiang Qing'e. "Qing'e, are you thinking of accepting it?"
Jiang Qing'e responded calmly, "It's perfect for us since we've nearly finished all the missions that pertain to nearby hunting grounds. Let's go to the Golden Stone Valley and have a look. Who's willing to lead the Guardians and follow me?" She turned back to the Thousand Guardians in the surrounding area. As a Dragon Fang Envoy, she was allowed to bring five thousand Guardians with her on a mission.
Li Hongyou was the first one to raise her hand. After all, Li Luo was the one who had brought her into the Dragon's Fang Guardians. She had been tagging along with Jiang Qing'e since Li Luo hadn't been partic.i.p.ating in any of the missions.
Following this, the rest of the Thousand Guardians fought amongst each other to volunteer themselves. They were smart and knew that with Li Luo's background and Jiang Qing'e's talent, this duo would definitely become the future leaders of the Dragon's Fang Guardians. It would be in their best interest to build a stronger relations.h.i.+p now.
Jiang Qing'e picked four of the Thousand Guardians that she was more familiar with before giving her order decisively.
"In this case, we'll set off for the Golden Stone Valley tomorrow. Please do not be late."
"Yes!"
Everyone answered in harmony. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
Jiang Qing'e's clear gaze turned back towards Li Luo. "Shall we set off tomorrow?"
Li Luo looked back at Jiang Qing'e, who had firmly established her authority in just this short period of time. He could only raise his thumb up in silence.
"Whatever you say, Boss!"
The next morning.
When Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e arrived at the training ground, the five thousand Guardians were already a.s.sembled, each br.i.m.m.i.n.g full of energy and determination. Majestic amounts of resonant power gathered them and could be faintly seen in the air, giving off a dense pressure.
After years of training together, all the Dragon's Fang Guardians had achieved a high level of integration.
When Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e appeared, all the eyes turned towards them. Everyone, regardless of gender, only had eyes of admiration for the duo. Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e were clad in the black and red armor of the Dragon's Fang Guardians today. One of them was a handsome lad whilst the other was a stunning beauty. Everyone enviously watched the two of them stand side by side. In front of them, Xia Yu, a Grand Commander of the Dragon's Fang Guardians, smiled. She clasped her hands together and said, "Dragon Fang Envoy Jiang, I will be tagging along for this mission. I await your orders."
According to the rules of the Heavenly Dragon’s Five Guardian Armies, the Dragon Fang Envoys could command five thousand Guardians and two Grand Commanders whenever they set off for a mission.
And in this case, the two commanders would be Li Luo and Xia Yu.
"Grand Commander Xia, weren't you out on a mission?" Li Luo asked in surprise. Based on his understanding, Xia Yu, the First Grand Commander, hadn't been around Heavenly Dragon City for the past few days.
Xia Yu smiled in response. She did not hide anything from them and replied frankly, "This was arranged for by the Guardian General. He heard that the two of you are setting out to the Golden Stone Valley, so he ordered me to return to a.s.sist."
Now Li Luo understood what had happened. Li Foluo had heard of the news last night and had summoned Xia Yu back in a hurry. After all, their overall strength would increase significantly with a second-grade Duke added to the team.
Li Foluo was clearly worried about their visit to the Golden Stone Valley as well. However, the Dragon's Fang Guardians had other missions a.s.signed to them. Therefore, he could only summon Xia Yu back to a.s.sist.
"Li Luo, we're here too."
As Li Luo was thinking about it, a manly voice suddenly came from above. Three people flew down from the sky and landed in front of the crowd.
Li Luo looked over in surprise. "Second Uncle, Uncle Biao, and Aunt Yun?"
The three that had arrived were none other than Second Uncle Li Jinpan, Ox Biaobiao, and Li Rouyun.
"Do you all plan to head to Golden Stone Valley too?"
Li Jinpan nodded. "You were ambushed before, and although the Respected Elder has sent out a warning, it's still best to be careful. The Golden Stone Valley is a den of chaos and is of close proximity to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Zhao. They've always had their eyes on the area, so it's best for us to tag along."
Li Luo scratched his head. The Golden Stone Valley truly seemed quite dangerous. Otherwise, Li Jingzhe wouldn't have sent such a team to accompany him.
"Uncle Biao, how are your injuries?" Li Luo asked out of concern as he looked over at Ox Biaobiao.
He had been badly injured during the ambush. Since then, he had spent most of the time recuperating.
"The Lineage Chief treated my injuries personally, and I've fully recovered," Ox Biaobiao replied with a smile. "I heard that the Lineage Chief wreaked havoc in Abyssal City. That b.i.t.c.h Qin Lian even got a sound thras.h.i.+ng. What great news. I'm sure that the person who ambushed you was that vicious lady!" Ox Biaobiao swore.
"Qin Lian is the biggest suspect. However, she's been punished by Grandfather, so I don't think she'll do anything for the time being," Li Luo replied with a grin.
"In that case, I'll trouble the three of you to take care of us during this mission."
Li Jinpan responded in a clear voice, "We're family. There's no need to be so polite." He had a very straightforward personality. He took a quick look at the surroundings and his gaze paused on Li Fengyi. "Are you ready? If so, it's time to set off."
Li Luo nodded.
Jiang Qing'e greeted the three elders and waved her hand. Her clear and crisp voice echoed in the air.
"Move out!"
In the next instant, everyone flew into the sky.
The sound of whoos.h.i.+ng wind was left in their wake as the army shot up into the air. They flew across the vast sky and dashed towards the borders of Heavenly Dragon City.
After leaving Heavenly Dragon Peak, Li Luo felt like something heavy was pus.h.i.+ng down on him. He raised his head and saw the vast World's End River flowing over his head once again.
The World's End River streaked across the entire sky here, splitting the world into two. It was so large and meandering that he could see no end to it. Sounds of rus.h.i.+ng water echoed throughout every corner of the World's End River Region.
This was the first time Li Luo had left Heavenly Dragon Peak since he arrived at the World's End River Region and thus was naturally curious. As he inspected his environment, he noticed there were many different lands and mountain ranges in every direction, as well as people. Everyone was searching for rare materials and Foundational Spirit Treasures.
Many fights also broke out as the Dukes fought amongst themselves to vie for dominance over the resources.
At the same time, Others could be lying in wait to ambush them. This entire area was rife with danger.
That said, things were considered to be relatively peaceful at this point. The situation would undoubtedly escalate once the Stygian Rain of Calamity started.