Chapter 0772: Price
Layer twenty-nine of the Fiendish Devil Cave was clearly harder than the previous layer. With a larger number of Fiendish Devils, as well as more frequent appearances of Big Fiendish Devils, the fifth division was faced with a tough time. However, Li Luo did not rush to advance this time around. Instead, he chose to progress steadily with minimal casualties.
"Sub Leader, aren't we aiming to be the first to clear layer twenty-nine?" Zhao Yanzhi asked in confusion. Based on their progress, they were surely lagging behind the first division, who had entered the cave four hours before them.
Li Luo shook his head and answered, "There is no need to fight to be first again. In the previous layer, our victory ensured that the other divisions would no longer underestimate the fifth division. Furthermore, the first division entered layer twenty-nine way earlier than us. Zhong Ling is not keeping his composure and he will definitely aim to be the first to clear it, by hook or by crook. If we are too eager to compete with him, we will definitely pay a huge price and lose many of our members.
"That's not worth it at all. After all, this is only the first day.
"Besides, if Zhong Ling wants to charge ahead, let him do it. We can make use of this chance to recuperate and prepare for the next layer."
Zhao Yanzhi thought about it for a moment and then responded, "If Zhong Ling is really determined to be the first to clear layer twenty-nine, the first division will suffer huge losses. This will leave them incapacitated for the next two days. I'm afraid they will not be able to clear any more layers afterwards."
With a single swing of his blade, Li Luo finished off dozens of devils in front of him and continued calmly, "The key lies in... the third day.
"The third day is the most important. At that time, we will compete with the divisions from other banners. If the first division suffers heavy losses here, then they will definitely be unable to put up a fight against the divisions from other banners. When that time comes, the Green Nether Banner will need to depend on us, the fifth division."
Li s.h.i.+, Mu Bi, and others were stunned by his reply. His way of thinking was beyond their expectations. Li Luo was thinking about the honor of the Green Nether Banner, while Zhong Ling had been blinded by his compet.i.tion with Li Luo.
Zhong Ling had lost by more than a little bit in every aspect.
Li Luo just smiled in response to their gazes. Ultimately, his father was still the Hall Master of the Green Nether Hall, and the Green Nether Banner was part of the Green Nether Hall. Thus, he had to take a long term view towards things. Besides, the Banner Leader position of the Green Nether Banner would belong to him sooner or later, so he definitely would not let the others in the Twenty Banners look down upon the Green Nether Banner.
"I wonder which banner and division we will meet. Hopefully, it won't be the top ten divisions and their vanguard team of elites." Zhao Yanzhi placed her hands together and prayed.
"If we meet them, so be it. We can't hide from these things forever. Besides, a stronger opponent will be good training for the fifth division." Li Luo did not care much about this. In fact, he was looking forward to personally experiencing just how strong the other elites were.
"I'm just a short-sighted woman without lofty ambitions like the Sub Leader, so what I think about is only the battle between the divisions and the rewards upon victory," Zhao Yanzhi replied with a coquettish smile.
"Are the rewards for victory good?" Li Luo asked curiously.
"Each banner member can get ten abstruse fiend lights, and the Sub Leader can get a G.o.d Origin Pill," Zhao Yanzhi explained. When she mentioned the G.o.d Origin Pill, she could not hide her desire for it in her tone.
"G.o.d Origin Pill?" Li Luo was confused about this new term.
"The G.o.d Origin Pill is the purified product produced from refining upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills. However, it is extremely rare. It has the same effect as dozens of upper-grade Fiend Origin Pills. In fact, a single G.o.d Origin Pill can be refined into hundreds of strands of abstruse fiend light.
"Unfortunately, the G.o.d Origin Pill is so potent that one needs a few days of cultivation after taking a single pill." Zhao Yanzhi finished off her explanation.
Hearing this, Li Luo's eyes lit up in surprise. Once again, he was experiencing the foundation and uniqueness of the inner divine continents. He had never heard of the G.o.d Origin Pill back in the Xia Kingdom.
Despite how wonderful it would be to obtain a G.o.d Origin Pill, there was no need to force it. If there was a chance, Li Luo would definitely not mind taking one to try. However, if they were really unlucky and encountered extremely powerful elites, he would have no choice but to give up and bear with it for the time being. After all, the Green Nether Banner's years of decline had inevitably left them far behind the top-ranked banners. Please visit ???e???n?ν?l. ???
As they were chatting, the Fiendish Devils in front of them had been completely annihilated. With a wave of his hand, Li Luo commanded the fifth division to maintain their momentum and progress steadily.
However, their advance did not continue for long. Suddenly, the s.p.a.ce around him began to distort and Li Luo's expression changed.
"It looks like the first division has cleared layer twenty-nine," Zhao Yanzhi stated.
"Zhong Ling is strong after all," Li s.h.i.+ praised. Calculating from the time the first division had entered layer twenty-nine, they had taken approximately eight hours to finish things. Their pace was not bad at all.
"Saves us quite a bit of energy," Li Luo commented with a smile. He held back his resonant power as the s.p.a.ce around him twisted and turned. A few moments later, the s.p.a.ce around him stabilized and they were back outside the big gate of the Fiendish Devil Cave.
Everyone looked towards the first division in awe.
On first look, it was evident that a large part of the first division was missing, and the remaining banner members looked pale and exhausted. Without a doubt, they had gone through an extremely fierce fight.
In front of them, Zhong Ling's eyes appeared a little sluggish and his resonant power was in disarray.
"The first division lost over four hundred members," Zhao Yanzhi whispered to Li Luo.
"Zhong Ling is too rash. With so many casualties, the combat strength of the first division has fallen tremendously," Li s.h.i.+ added.
Li Luo did not comment. It was unfortunate for the first division to have a Sub Leader like Zhong Ling, desperate for success.
Under the gazes of the other four divisions, the banner members of the first division remained silent and the atmosphere was depressing.
Similarly, Zhong Ling's face was also particularly gloomy. Although he was the first to clear layer twenty-nine, the price he had to pay for it was much larger than he had expected.
He glanced at Li Luo with cold eyes before turning around and ordering in a cold voice, "First division, take a rest and tend to the wounded."
The members of the first division followed accordingly.
Li Luo had never paid much attention to his stares. Evidently, his overeagerness for success had caused the first division to suffer heavy losses. Such a person was obviously not qualified to be the Banner Leader. It was no wonder he had failed to take the position after such a long time.
With a wave of his hand, Li Luo signaled for the fifth division to take a rest too. With so many casualties in the first division, they were no longer a threat. Now the fifth division had sufficient time to advance while minimizing their losses.
With that, each division took their rest separately.
In front of the Fiendish Devil Cave, various banners continued to be sent out from time to time. The atmosphere was always lively.
All of a sudden, the atmosphere escalated and many cheers roared out.
Li Luo opened his eyes, and Zhao Yanzhi's gentle voice came. "Sub Leader, look. The Gold Light Banner has gotten through to layer forty!"
Li Luo glanced over to the light curtain on one side of the main hall, and he saw the number of layers behind the Gold Light Banner rise to forty. At the same time, their ranking rose from fifth to fourth.
"Deng Fengxian is really capable. I heard that there are six Fiendish Devil Leaders in layer forty, and each has strength comparable to a Duke!" Zhao Yanzhi exclaimed.
"Six Fiendish Devil leaders, all close to Duke level..."
Li Luo's eyes could not help but freeze. Such a lineup was not any easier than fighting against a real Duke. The fact that the Gold Light Banner had cleared that layer proved that their strength was indeed at the top amongst the young generation in the Dragon's Fang Lineage.
As Li Luo's heart was fluttering, flashes flickered at the entrance of the main hall, and thousands of people emerged from it.
It was the returning members of Gold Light Banner.
The Gold Light Banner had eight thousand members, and it looked like they had lost nearly a thousand of them. Obviously, they had paid a heavy price in order to conquer layer forty. However, this level of loss was acceptable for their layer, and all the members in the Gold Light Banner were bursting with excitement.
Deng Fengxian led the team back to the resting area of the Gold Light Banner. Dressed in white, his imposing presence was extraordinary and attracted thousands of awe-inspiring gazes.
Li Luo withdrew his gaze. Deng Fengxian was indeed exceptional, and there was a gap between him and the Green Nether Banner that could not be ignored.
Still, this would only be temporary.
Two hours later, the fifth division finished resting.
It was already late at night, but the lights in Fiendish Devil Peak remained bright as day.
Li Luo took a look at the first division, but there was no movement from Zhong Ling. Evidently, their losses were too great, and they now required more time to recuperate.
The second day of the Fiendish Devil Cave expedition was approaching. Next up, it was their turn to s.h.i.+ne.
"Let's go."
He signaled to Zhao Yanzhi and led the fifth division towards the entrance of the main hall.
Behind them, back in the Gold Light Banner's resting area, Deng Fengxian took a glimpse at Li Luo's back.
A Sub Leader of the Gold Light Banner whispered into his ear about what happened to the Green Nether Banner.
"Zhong Ling is too hasty, he will not be able to beat Li Luo." Deng Fengxian shook his head.
"The Banner Leader of the Green Nether Banner is most likely going to be Li Luo."
At this point, the Sub Leader of the Gold Light Banner next to him said worriedly, "Li Luo is the son of the Third Master. Once he rises up, he may pose a threat to the Gold Light Banner."
"Not a concern. Li Luo's talent is indeed extraordinary, but he's still too far behind. It's not so easy to catch up. As long as I'm still here, I can keep him down," Deng Fengxian responded calmly.
"And when I become the leader of the Dragon's Fang Lineage in the future, perhaps I will need a sharp blade like him," he continued with an air of dominance in his words.
The Sub Leaders of the Gold Light Banner were full of respect and trust for Deng Fengxian. They smiled and nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Although Li Luo was exceptionally talented, it was a pity that he had arrived at such a terrible time.
Deng Fengxian alone would suffice as the head of the young generation of the Dragon's Fang Lineage.