While Li Luo was taking in Jiang Qing'e's incredible achievements, the others noticed the news too. Everyone was shocked to see this.
"Junior Li Luo, your fiancee is a tigress." Zong Sha sighed with a complicated look.
She had gotten three A Merits very quickly. It seemed like the trap set up for them was actually a gift to Jiang Qing'e.
Meanwhile, they had only earned one A Merit, and it was at the cost of the total elimination of one team.
The difference in power made them feel complicated.
"How in the world did she do it? Senior Lingyuan was only able to kill one Greater Evil Spirit. I don't think even Wu Changkong can kill three of them at once, right?" Jiang Wanyu asked in disbelief.
Feng Lingyuan took a look at the scoreboard and commented, "She's a dual ninth-grade light resonance wielder. She holds an advantage over the Others. It's not entirely out of the world for her to achieve such results."
Afterwards, she took a look at the subsequent ranks on the scoreboard. The one second place was also from Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College.
It was Ning Meng, who had two A Merits and one B Merit. Feng Lingyuan a.s.sumed that this person was the top ranked in their Upper Hall.
In the same rank as Ning Meng was Wu Changkong with two A Merits and one B Merit as well.
The ones following them had one A Merit and one B Merit.
Feng Lingyuan glanced at the scoreboard for a while before turning back to Jiang Qing'e. She had clearly caught her eye. The new superstar of the Hallowed Coruscation Ancient College had taken the first place from both the top-ranked individuals of both ancient colleges. Although this was likely temporary, it was still testament to her strength.
In a year or two, such a person would likely become the strongest student in the whole Academic Federation.
Feng Lingyuan suddenly looked towards Li Luo.
Li Luo looked back at her strangely. "Senior Feng, what's the matter?"
Feng Lingyuan replied, "Such an outstanding lady didn't wish to break off your engagement?"
Li Luo smiled back. This seemed unexpected... right? She surely would never guess that he was the one who had proposed that they should break off their engagement. Although he had regretted this reckless action countless times in the dead of the night, the engagement had been annulled in the end. He could only force out a laugh and swallow the bitter pill left behind by his youthful self. Of course, he wasn't going to share all this knowledge with Feng Lingyuan. He put on a brave front and retorted, "Senior Feng, what do you mean by that? We're not a bad pair."
Feng Lingyuan did not say anything further. Although Jiang Qing'e was exceptionally outstanding, Li Luo was not ordinary either. He had triple resonances, so even someone with an ordinary lower ninth-grade resonance would pale in comparison to him. Besides, he had managed to defeat three Lesser Heavenly Resonance Tier opponents when he was just a five-pearl. This was a clear sign of just how strong his foundation was. All of that along with being a high ranking member of the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li, Li Luo was truly an exceptional person himself as well. Most importantly, he was also very handsome.
Feng Lingyuan took a look at that handsome, young face. His eyes were filled with warmth and friendliness, with a bit of sharpness hidden beneath. His hair was grayish white. All of this added points to his charm.
Although Feng Lingyuan was not one who would go crazy for looks, she had to admit that Li Luo looked much better than most guys.
"I hope we find Jiang Qing'e soon. We can join hands then and collect all the Merits we need. We'll leave Wu Changkong speechless," Feng Lingyuan said.
"That's exactly what I had in mind, Senior Feng." Li Luo smiled back brightly.
"So, Wu Changkong, you want to see me fail? Wait until I find the plump white swan. I'll show you the might of a true power couple!"
Then Li Luo had another thought. Would it look bad if he relied on external help like this?
However, he soon had his answer.
The plump white swan was part of his family. There was no need for any distinction between them. Hence, he wasn't really relying on others!
As a result, he felt at ease.
While they were chatting, they suddenly sensed energy waves around them. Soon, the town around them turned hazy. However, they were not surprised by this development. They waited around quietly.
They knew that the town wasn't real; it was just a product of the All-Being Ghostly Skin Dominion. Now that the Devil Heart Pillar had been destroyed, the illusion would naturally dissipate. As such, the scenery around them would slowly revert back to that of the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm.
When the town vanished, all that was left was a silent valley. The surroundings had been eroded by corruption, so almost everything had withered. The valley appeared desolate.
Though not every inch of the land had turned into a wasteland. In a region of the valley, the ground collapsed and revealed a hole. Countless crimson crystals rolled out of it, each one containing a crimson pill.
There was a mysterious light circulating around each pill, and they gave off a special fragrance.
"Are these... Heavenly Crimson Pills?"
Feng Lingyuan recognized them immediately, and her eyes lit up. Heavenly Crimson Pills were not a product of man; they were formed when Crimson Refining Worms dug their way into crystals full of worldly natural energy. When the two fused together, the unique Heavenly Crimson Pills were formed. Heavenly Crimson Pills contained an extremely pure form of worldly natural energy. They were a rare cultivation resource that could greatly boost one's resonant power. They were popular and were high in demand even in the auctions of the inner divine continent.
The others stared pa.s.sionately. No one had expected such a reward.
"This is where the Devil Heart Pillar was located earlier," Deng Changbai said after taking a glance.
Feng Lingyuan nodded. "Devil Heart Pillars can only be erected in places where worldly natural energy gathers. With Heavenly Crimson Pills forming here, it's a clear sign that this is the location with the highest concentration of worldly natural energy in this district."
She waved her sleeve, and all the Heavenly Crimson Pills flew up into the air. There were around ten of them, but not all of them had matured fully. Three were exceptionally eye-catching though. They were deep red like burning fire but also translucent. One could faintly see the silhouette of a worm curled up in the heart of the crystal.
These three Heavenly Crimson Pills were top-cla.s.s items.
Feng Lingyuan was not shy and took one for herself. She handed another over to Deng Changbai as he had helped to hold down one of the Greater Evil Spirits earlier. His teammates had also been captured, so he definitely deserved one.
As for the last one, she thought about it for a moment before giving it to Li Luo.
"If not for you, we'd likely have suffered heavy casualties earlier. You deserve one too," Feng Lingyuan said. She had a headstrong personality and decided on everything without consulting the rest.
However, the others did not object to her decision. After all, it was just like Feng Lingyuan had said. If not for Li Luo, they would likely have been captured by the Greater Evil Spirits too.
Li Luo did not stand on ceremony. He reached out and accepted the Heavenly Crimson Pill. With this, he could get even stronger. This mission was more dangerous than they had imagined, and it would be best for him to power up as much as possible.
As for the remaining pills, which were of lower grade, Feng Lingyuan distributed them equally amongst the rest. Everyone was pleased.
The fear instilled in them by the Greater Evil Spirits earlier finally dispelled after the pleasant surprise of treasure.
Li Luo pinched the Heavenly Crimson Pills lightly. He finally understood why the Heavenly Origin Ancient College was fighting the All-Beings Devil King for the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm. This place had a vast amount of cultivation resources. If they could secure it, it would be a great boost to the college.
If a Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar indicated a few handfuls of Heavenly Crimson Pills, then there would definitely be rarer treasures under a Ten Thousand Skin Devil Heart Pillar.
When he thought about this, Li Luo grew more pa.s.sionate.
Although Merits could be traded for cultivation resources, that was a delayed reward. It was more practical to receive treasures by themselves on the spot. Besides, the two weren't mutually exclusive.
He could just get both.
Li Luo and Feng Lingyuan exchanged glances and saw the excitement within each other's eyes.
As a late stage Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier cultivator, Feng Lingyuan was currently paving her path towards the Duke Stage. Therefore, the amount of cultivation resources she needed was immense. In other words, the Fifth Minor Earthly Branch Realm was the perfect chance for her to ascend.
Feng Lingyuan did not dally. She looked at the map on her Ancient Spirit Leaf. There were dozens of red skulls on it, each representing a big Other nest.
Those places would be their main battlegrounds moving forward.
Teams from both ancient colleges would be heading towards them.
Feng Lingyuan's eyes lit up as she asked, "Deng Changbai, do you want to come along with us?"
Deng Changbai hesitated for a while. Feng Lingyuan had just shared one Heavenly Crimson Pill with him, so it would be a bit rude to turn her down. Besides, his own team members had been captured and he really needed to find a strong ally right now. It was not a bad choice to stick with Feng Lingyuan, who was ranked second in the Upper Hall. The only problem was dealing with Wu Changkong, as he seemed to dislike Li Luo. If he followed them, would he be offending Wu Changkong?
However, he recalled what Li Luo and the rest were chatting about earlier. Jiang Qing'e, who was at the top of the scoreboard, was Li Luo's fiancee?
That was definitely a really strong person. In that case, he did not have to worry too much about any fallout with Wu Changkong. After he pondered all this, Deng Changbai came to a conclusion quickly. He nodded towards Feng Lingyuan, agreeing to team up.
Feng Lingyuan smiled faintly. She then pointed to an area with a blood-red skull with her slender finger.
"In that case, let's do our best and head over there."