Chapter 1062: A Bountiful Reward
"Li Luo... actually managed to dissolve the Ancestor’s attack."
Surprised cheers finally erupted in all of the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages like a volcano after a short period of silence; even the many Duke experts had looks of admiration.
They were all able to clearly feel the ferocity of the Ancestor's Heavenly Dragon's Cloudburst Art and naturally knew that nobody at the fourth-grade Duke Stage could block it.
But Li Luo had managed to do it.
His powerful sword light erupted in a sweeping arc, dissipating the golden rain in the sky.
Just how sharp was the sword light?
Everyone found it hard to believe that a Heavenly Pearl Tier cultivator could produce such a keen sword light. Although he had the support of Harmony, this was clear proof of just how talented Li Luo was.
He was a heavenly genius not inferior to his father, Li Taixuan.
Many of the Dukes from the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages looked at the young figure in the mirror of light with conflicted expressions. They were in a trance, as if they had once again seen the man who had ruled the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages years ago. If even the Duke experts were so shocked, then of course the many figureheads of the younger generation such as Li Qingfeng, Li Hongli, Lu Qingmei, and so on were even more stupefied.
Ancestor Li Jun was a legendary figure in their minds, and they had never even laid eyes on him. But now Li Luo was fighting against the young Ancestor and managing to resist the other party's masterful attacks.
This performance was even more amazing than fighting the True Devil in the Spiritual Resonance Cave.
Li Qingfeng smiled bitterly at Li Hongli as he said, "I think I understand the kind of powerlessness my father and his generation felt when they faced Li Taixuan.
"Watching a maniac like him makes it difficult to even find the motivation to catch up."
Li Hongli winced as she also felt a sense of inferiority. Seeing Li Qingfeng's forlorn expression, she attempted to console him. "He might be a terrifying talent now, but that does not mean much in the long run. What matters more is seeing who can walk longer and further. After all, there are records of cultivation geniuses reaching the Duke Stage and then stagnating. Conversely, there have also been instances of cultivators that had slow starts but advanced faster and much further upon reaching the Duke Stage."
Still, these were just words of comfort. Both she and Li Qingfeng knew deep in their hearts that cultivators who had monumental progress despite having slow beginnings were extremely rare.
Looking at Li Luo's fearsome and regal appearance today, it was obvious that he did not belong to the group with limited potential.
She then added, "Li Luo only appears this dazzling because he is a big fish in a small pond. We of the Twenty Banners are the youngest generation, and he will definitely meet more generational talents once he enters the Heavenly Dragon's Five Guardian Armies. Someone is sure to outshine him in the future."
The Dragon's Blood Lineage had gained too much over the years, completely overshadowing the Dragon's Fang Lineage. As such, Li Hongli was unable to accept that Li Luo was representing the Dragon's Fang Lineage to rise up and outshine the Dragon's Blood Lineage.
"Perhaps."
Li Qingfeng was noncommittal and said no more.
......
While the outside world was in chaos, inside layer seventy-two, Ancestor Li Jun was looking at the sky that had cleared up after the rain. A look of surprise finally appeared on his face.
“Not bad, kid." Li Jun glanced at Li Luo with a smile on his face.
Li Luo looked at Li Jun. The energy fluctuations around him began to dissipate as he asked, "Ancestor, no more fighting?"
Li Jun waved the hand that wasn't holding the Golden Coiled Dragon Staff and replied, "Since you managed to receive that move, this test is basically over."
Li Luo froze. "Have I passed, then?"
Li Jun nodded with a smile. "Naturally."
Li Luo was instantly ecstatic. The Void Obliteration Sword Phantasm combined with the power of the mysterious Auric Halo was the strongest attack that he was capable of dishing out, and he was unsure if he would be able to perform it a second time. So Li Jun declaring that he had passed was undoubtedly the best outcome.
After all, facing the unfathomable Ancestor, even though it was just a figment of intent from the Ancestor's past, Li Luo was not at all confident that he would be able to win an all-out fight.
"Thank you, Ancestor!" Li Luo cupped his fists and bowed in respect.
"There's no need to thank me. I didn't go easy on you!" Li Jun laughed.
At this moment, the Harmony energy flowing around Li Luo's body began to dissipate. On the island below, the eight thousand members of the Green Nether Banner exited the formation. Immediately after, they knelt down on the ground. Their voices were respectful but shaky as they said in unison, "Greetings to the Ancestral Heavenly Emperor!"
Zhao Yanzhi and the others were now trembling like leaves. Previously, the awe and fear in their hearts were concealed because they were in the state of Harmony. Now that they had returned to their individual senses, they naturally didn't dare to face the Ancestor without showing utmost respect.
After all, this was a Heavenly Emperor!
He was the pinnacle of strength in the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li.
Normally, Dukes were supreme beings in their eyes, and the Lineage Chiefs even more so. With that in mind, what was Heavenly Emperor Li?
Li Jun grinned and waved his sleeve, gesturing for the crowd to rise.
"There is no need to stand on ceremony. This batch of Green Nether Banner members have done well."
"It's all thanks to Banner Leader Li Luo. It was he who brought the bottom-ranked Green Nether Banner to this point in less than a year's time," Zhao Yanzhi stated in a respectful voice.
She was quick-witted and bold, knowing that the Ancestor was not someone she could meet on a whim. Since the opportunity was right before her, she naturally needed to claim credit for Li Luo.
Li Jun nodded when he heard this and said, "A general is worth ten thousand troops. An excellent Banner Leader does indeed have the ability to transform the entire banner."
He then looked at Li Luo and smiled. "Li Luo, you led the Green Nether Banner through layer seventy-two of the Fiendish Devil Cave and also set a new record. What reward do you want?"
Li Luo replied with a straight face, "I don't care for any rewards. Fighting you, Ancestor, has allowed me to experience how peerless you were in your youth, and that is the true reward. From now on, I shall follow the your example and climb to the top!"
His bold words were loud and clearly transmitted along the mirrors of light to all the spectators outside.
The faces of all the senior members of the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages started twitching when they heard Li Luo's words. The damn kid was far too thick-skinned. Did he really think that people couldn't see through his crude tactic of retreating in order to advance?
Do he think the Ancestor wouldn't recognize his petty trick? Do he truly believe this would work?
However, the five Lineage Chiefs remained totally expressionless. They knew very well that this petty tactic would absolutely work on the Ancestor.
As a result, all of their mouths were agape when they saw Ancestor Li Jun's beaming expression as he pointed at Li Luo and said with a chuckle, "This kid is indeed very interesting.
"Don't worry. You are the first descendant to meet this intent of mine, and you have also passed the test, so the reward will definitely satisfy you."
Ancestor Li Jun stretched out his palm, and the vast worldly natural energy instantly surged and converged before finally taking the form of a golden liquid in the center of his palm. An indescribably pure energy seemed to be contained within the liquid.
Golden light began to radiate from the center of the golden liquid, and a gale blew fiercely around it. An instant later, a golden tree sprouted from the liquid.
Singular fruits hung from the boughs of the tree. Dragon scales engraved with ancient and subtly glowing runes covered the surface of the fruits.
Ancestor Li Jun waved his hand, and the fruits fell down one after another, dropping towards the eight thousand banner members below.
"These are Golden Dragon Fruits. Once consumed, they will increase and advance one's resonant power and can also greatly strengthen one's physical body."
Zhao Yanzhi and the others frantically grabbed the Golden Dragon Fruits, feeling the majestic and pure energy contained within them. They were trembling with excitement, and although the Ancestor had explained it rather casually, they understood the preciousness of the Golden Dragon Fruits. If they refined them, their strength would increase considerably.
An improvement to their physical bodies in particular would greatly increase their combat power.
After distributing the rewards among the banner members, Li Jun looked at Li Luo, who was staring back at him. With a slight smile, he stretched out his other hand, and the flesh in his palm cracked open, revealing a pill that slowly rose up.
The pill was dark viridian in color and seemed rather ordinary, possessing no eye-catching details. But when it appeared, Li Luo could feel the blood in his veins begin to heat up like a blazing furnace.
The dragon manifestation in his Thunder Dragon resonance palace erupted with a draconic roar of longing.
Li Luo's gaze was dead set on the dark-green pill. If it wasn't for his sense of reason suppressing his inner emotions, he would already have reached out to grab it.
On the outside, when Li Tianji, Li Jingzhe, and the other :ineage Chiefs saw the dark viridian pill, their eyes couldn't help but betray their emotions. A soft voice rang out.
“Is that...
"A True Dragon Seed Pill?"