Chapter 0927: Upper-grade Duke
Chapter 0927: Upper-grade Duke
For the next three days, Li Luo did not step out of his room at all. However, he was not resting. He had been busy familiarizing himself with his new powers. Although the Battle of the Dragon's Head had been extremely challenging, he had actually reaped significant rewards from it.
Notwithstanding the four hundred feet of Fiend Dipper Energy that he had attained during the Dragon's Ascent, he had also obtained the Nine Scales Sanctified Dragon's Body. This was an extremely large boost to his battle strength.
According to his own estimates, he would not need to fear any opponents at the two-pearl tier and below. Although he was only at the Fiend Finisher Tier, he had numerous aces, such as the Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation.
Unfortunately, this was still not enough. He was going to come across countless Heavenly Pearl Tier elites in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, and plenty of them would be five-pearl or even higher, so he would definitely be too weak.
As such, he had to quickly improve himself before the opening.
After three whole days, Li Luo finally ended his training and headed out towards Dragon's Fang Mountain.
This was the day that Ox Biaobiao would finish restoring his foundation. If he was successful, he would be able to regain and possibly even exceed his original strength.
It was something that he had been looking forward to for years.
When Li Luo arrived, he headed straight towards the grand hall. Li Jingzhe was standing at the front entrance with his hands placed behind his back. Beside him was a familiar figure.
It was none other than Li Lingjing.
"Cousin Lingjing." Li Luo greeted her with a smile as he walked over.
Li Lingjing looked at him with crystal-clear eyes, and a charming smile appeared on her cute face. She replied gently, "I have not yet congratulated you on becoming the Dragon's Head, Cousin Li Luo."
"That's nothing. If you had gotten into the Twenty Banners, you would surely have become the Dragon's Head of the previous generation too," Li Luo responded with a laugh.
After all, Li Lingjing was a top talent in the Dragon's Fang Domain in the past. With her mental fortitude and capability, she definitely would’ve become the Dragon's Head if she had gotten into the Twenty Banners. Hearing his words, Li Lingjing bit her lips gently, almost pouting. "Don't tease me anymore. Besides, there are differences in strength between the Dragon's Heads of different generations. You're the Dragon's Head who challenged the great Hall Master Li Taixuan—how can any ordinary Dragon's Head be comparable to you?"
Li Luo smiled brightly, declining to answer her directly as he asked, "Well now, how have you been doing these days, Cousin Lingjing?"
Of course, his question was directed towards the problem of the Soul Eater True Devil within her.
At this point, Li Lingjing took a quick glance at Li Jingzhe before she lightly nodded and replied, "Thanks to the effort and time spent by the Lineage Chief, the Soul Eater True Devil has been mostly eradicated."
"Seems like your power has grown tremendously," Li Luo said when he sensed a domineering hint of pressure coming from her. It was clear that her strength had grown quite a bit over this period of time.
"I have reached the seven-pearl tier now," Li Lingjing answered sweetly.
"Seven-pearl?" Li Luo was surprised to hear this. Previously, Li Lingjing had been injured by the Soul Eater True Devil. She was living like a zombie and had barely made any progress on her cultivation. Yet she had gotten such a gigantic improvement in this short span of time?
This was comparable to the other elites of her generation.
"Her situation is special. The Soul Eater True Devil consumed many talents over the years. Now that it has instead been consumed by her, she naturally reaped the benefits. This is truly a blessing in disguise," Li Jingzhe explained from the side.
"By the way, I will let her tag along with you for the Spiritual Resonance Cave," Li Jingzhe added.
Li Luo was a little shocked to hear that. He turned towards Li Lingjing and asked, "You're going into the Spiritual Resonance Cave too?"
Li Lingjing smiled subtly and responded, "I'll be in your care then, Cousin Li Luo."
Hearing this, Li Luo laughed helplessly. "You've gotten it wrong, my honorable seven-pearl expert... I'll be the one in your care."
"Don't worry. I'll definitely stick closely by your side and protect you." Li Lingjing stared at Li Luo with bright, charming eyes as she grinned.
"Thanks a lot, Cousin Lingjing," Li Luo replied politely with a smile. As the two of them chatted, Li Luo had briefly glanced into the grand hall. The giant furnace in it was still burning ferociously, with terrifying energy shooting up like a volcanic eruption.
Under such immense pressure, Li Luo had some difficulty breathing despite standing outside.
The challenges he had faced during the Battle of the Dragon's Head was nothing compared to the terrifying pressure in front of him. Even a seven-pearl like Li Lingjing opted to stand far away.
The silhouette of someone sitting in the lotus position could be seen inside the flames from time to time.
Li Luo did not step into the grand hall. He simply stood outside the front door and asked softly, "Grandpa, how's Uncle Biao doing? Is everything ok?" He was a little worried. After all, the second method proposed by Li Jingzhe came with a very high risk. Although it could repair the foundation of Ox Biaobiao, it could also force him to lose the power of a Duke forever if it failed.
Li Jingzhe took a look at the furnace before he answered, "The method he's chosen is indeed risky. He was on the cusp of failing multiple times. However, his mind remained tough and resolute. His strong sense of determination wrenched him back from the edge of failure time and time again. At this point, he's already gotten past the most dangerous part. We just need to wait for his Duke Bergfrieds to be completely repaired and it'll be a success."
Those words contained some hidden praise towards Ox Biaobiao. The second method was ultimately a gamble. The person undergoing that treatment had to have the determination to give it their all for merely a chance of success. If Ox Biaobiao had wavered for even a single moment, there would be nothing but failure waiting for him in the end.
When Li Luo heard this, he felt a sense of relief.
At the same time, he could sense a change in the energy undulations coming from the furnace. It had begun to shake more violently.
"It's about time," Li Jingzhe said to himself.
Bang!
The lid of the furnace exploded as soon as he finished those words. Energy erupted into the sky, and the void around it was shattered.
Truly frightening amounts of energy blasted in every direction. Li Luo stood frozen on his spot.
Fortunately, Li Jingzhe waved his sleeve at this moment, and a formless energy shield enveloped the grand hall. The void condensed and the explosive energy was contained within the grand hall itself instead of running rampant in every direction.
Li Luo stood there, watching without blinking. A figure stood up amongst the huge waves of energy and stepped out of the furnace. Behind him, the void trembled in his presence and multiple Duke Bergfrieds gradually appeared like towering mountains.
Each and every one was dazzling and filled with countless runes.
As Li Luo watched the figure step out of the furnace, he counted the number of Duke Bergfrieds behind him. One, three, five, six... seven!
When he noticed the seventh Duke Bergfried, he was pleasantly surprised. The second method was the right one after all. Not only had Ox Biaobiao regained his former strength, he had even improved and entered the seventh-grade Duke Stage!
He could now be considered an upper-grade Duke!
This was powerful enough to be considered an elite even within the Dragon's Fang Lineage, a cultivator who existed within the strongest echelons of combat strength just below the formidable Li Jingzhe.
Ox Biaobiao would definitely be considered top-class anywhere in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Regardless of where he went, he would be treated respectfully by all major powers.
It was no wonder Li Jingzhe had sealed up the space within the grand hall. Otherwise, the appearance of the seven Duke Bergfrieds would trigger an anomaly within the world, causing the worldly natural energy around the space to change drastically.
The seven Duke Bergfrieds did not remain in the open for long. Shortly after, they transformed into glitters of light, entering the burly body of the man standing in the hall.
At the same time, Ox Biaobiao gradually opened up his eyes.
It was like a razor-sharp blade had been unleashed in the space before him. The mere opening of his eyes had caused the void to be torn apart.
The faces of both Li Luo and Li Lingjing changed immediately, and they avoided looking directly at Ox Biaobiao's ferocious visage.
Although they had met countless Dukes during their time in the Dragon's Fang Lineage, the sheer aura he exuded was too terrifying for someone of their caliber.
Ox Biaobiao stood on the spot for a few moments, his eyes beaming with excitement and satisfaction. He had waited far too long for this day to arrive. Finally! Everything felt so surreal.
He could clearly sense the terrifying energy flowing within his body. This was much stronger than back when he was at his peak.
He had been a sixth-grade Duke, and now he was a seventh-grade Duke!
Although it was just an improvement of one grade, it was a true bottleneck. Many sixth-grade Dukes had been stuck in place for years without making much progress.
After all, stepping into the seventh-grade meant they would become an upper-grade Duke.
Ox Biaobiao took a deep breath as he familiarized himself with this newfound strength. With a thought, the Duke Bergfrieds within him trembled, letting out a ringing sound. Like a whale taking in water, he contained the terrifying energy pulses that had been emanating from his body.
When he stepped forward, he looked towards the front door of the grand hall.
"Thank you, Lineage Chief," Ox Biaobiao said respectfully to Li Jingzhe in a deep voice. Only he could really understand how amazing the second method given by Li Jingzhe truly was. Besides, it even required the assistance of a King. This would have been practically unachievable for many Dukes.
Kings were all considered overlords in the inner divine continent. How would they be willing to help anyone out so easily?
Hearing his words, Li Jingzhe simply replied, "Don't worry, this is what Li Taixuan and the rest owe you."
Li Luo also stepped forward at this point, and he said with a huge smile, "Uncle Biao, my father and mother will be really happy when they find out that your strength has recovered."
When Ox Biaobiao looked over at Li Luo, his fleshy face softened a little. He patted Li Luo's shoulder as he said, "You're much more reliable than your father and mother. Only they can leave behind a cook and two kids to look after the entire household."
Hearing this, Li Luo could not help but burst out laughing.
"Since this has been successful, let me ask you once again. Are you planning on taking part in the Green Nether Hall's Hall Master selection and staying in the Dragon's Fang Lineage for now? Or are you going to leave?" Li Jingzhe asked.
Without any hesitation, Ox Biaobiao replied, "I have promised Li Luo already. I'll stay in the Green Nether Hall and help him out temporarily."
He understood where Li Jingzhe was coming from. Li Jingzhe was planning to let Li Luo take control of the Green Nether Hall gradually. However, Li Luo himself was not strong enough yet. If he were placed in the position now, the others would not be convinced. Hence, Li Jingzhe needed his help for now. If he worked together with Li Rouyun in the Green Nether Hall, the other Hall Masters would not be too blatant with the way they did things.
Seeing his response, Li Jingzhe slightly nodded before he turned around and walked off.
"In that case, follow me. The elders have gathered today. It's time to set things up properly."