Chapter 0941: Five Lineages Gather
The Spiritual Resonance Cave was located in the northern plains of the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent, a region known as the Heavenly Star Plains. The plains were vast and never-ending, and they were home to three small kingdoms. In addition to that, there was also the Astral Sect, which held considerable influence and controlled the three kingdoms.
The Astral Sect was considered a middle tier power in the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Although they did not have any Kings, their foundation was sufficient to establish them as the undisputed tyrant of the Heavenly Star Plains
However, this situation had been upended by the emergence of the Spiritual Resonance Cave. It was a secret realm that had attracted the attention of all the Heavenly Emperor powers, and the Astral Sect was not powerful enough to monopolize it.
The bright side was that the Astral Sect did not respond to the situation foolishly. They decisively ceded the area that contained the Spiritual Resonance Cave and left it to the Heavenly Emperor powers to manage.
After that, there were several struggles between the powers as they finalized how the Spiritual Resonance Cave was to be shared and controlled. Because the Astral Sect had been flexible, adapting to the circumstances and ceding the area, they were given a share of the Resonant Talismans and allowed to enter the Spiritual Resonance Cave too.
The Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li was situated quite a distance from the Heavenly Star Plains, so their group would require the aid of numerous teleportation formations to arrive there. The five parties from the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages would congregate on the way, eventually forming a gigantic formation that would arrive at the Spiritual Resonance Cave together.
A gigantic, dragon-shaped ship cruised above the clouds, blasting majestic amounts of energy out of its tail and scattering the clouds in its wake.
The ship maintained a stable speed as it soared forward.
On a viewing platform on the ship, Li Luo was sitting cross-legged with his eyes shut, intently focused on his Cosmic Sword Intent and the Wood Dragon Fang Sword.
This cultivation session lasted for a quite a while before he finally heaved a sigh of relief and opened his eyes.
The sight that greeted him took him by surprise.
On the opposite side of the tea table was Li Lingjing, who had been sitting there for an unknown amount of time. She had not disturbed Li Luo, only supporting her head with a single hand as she quietly stared outside, observing the clouds.
A slight breeze ruffled her hair, and her flawless face seemed to possess a sort of indifference to all things. Meanwhile, her eyes seemed to contain a myriad of thoughts as she pondered silently.
However, she suddenly felt Li Luo's gaze upon her, and a smile surfaced on her lips. The previous sense of indifference seemed to have vanished into thin air.
"Are you finished?" She grinned at Li Luo.
"Cousin Lingjing, it seems you’ve been in a good mood recently," Li Luo replied.
Li Lingjing's slender, jade-like fingers were gingerly grasping a cup of tea. "Perhaps it's because I've left Dragon's Fang Mountain."
Li Luo was a little surprised. "You don't like staying there?"
"It's not that I don't like it... It's just that the stress of being there is too much to bear. You must know that I've always been worried that the Soul Eater True Devil was too thorny a problem. What if the elders had lost patience and decided to rely on a... simpler method?"
Li Luo smiled in understanding. It was easier to just eliminate both the Soul Eater True Devil and her together.
"I truly have to thank you. If not for you, I don’t think the Lineage Chief would have chosen to put in so much effort and time to allow me to recover." Li Lingjing blinked coquettishly, and a genuine smile formed on her face.
Her eyes were crystal-clear like an untouched lake, and Li Luo could see his reflection within them. He sheepishly replied, "You don’t have to act so courteously. Since your problem has been fixed and the Soul Eater True Devil has been purged, I can probably recommend you to the Dragon's Fang Guardians if you wish..."
"The Dragon's Fang Guardians, huh..." Li Lingjing seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. That was her goal in the past, but her thoughts and feelings had changed after all these years.
"Let's talk about this next time." Instead, she chose to cut this conversation off immediately.
"What is your goal for the future, Cousin Li Luo?" Li Lingjing asked.
Li Luo gave it a little thought before replying, "My sole aim is to step into the Duke Stage within the next three years."
If he couldn't do so, he'd be as dead as a doornail anyways.
"Three years to reach the Duke Stage?" Li Lingjing looked at him in utter shock. Although this wasn't too hard a goal as the Duke Stage was something all youths aspired towards, Li Luo was only at the Fiend Finisher Tier, meaning there was an entire stage between him and his goal.
Additionally, was breaking into the Duke Stage so easily done? Even peak talents who had an easy time cultivating before reaching the Heavenly Resonance Tier were often stumped by the massive mountain known as the Greater Heavenly Resonance Tier. And the path to becoming a Duke was even harder.
Many geniuses spent much longer than three years to take the final step. Thus, Li Luo's goal to reach the Duke Stage from the Fiend Finisher Tier was no simple task, especially with the time limit of three years.
However, looking at Li Luo's staunch gaze, Li Lingjing knew he wasn't joking. She nodded silently before saying, "Your body is full of mysteries, Cousin Li Luo. I have a feeling that it might not be impossible for you."
"Then I have to thank you in advance." He grinned before he followed up with his own question. "Then what about you? What is your goal?"
Li Lingjing's tilted her head slightly. Strands of black hair fell loosely from her temple as she beamed. "My goal is..."
Before she could finish speaking, the sounds of footsteps rang out and she paused as she glanced at Li Luo.
At that point, Deng Fengxian entered.
"Banner Leader Li Luo, the Dragon's Blood Lineage has sent a message. They are requesting for us to head towards the third cabin," Deng Fengxian explained.
Li Luo was a little surprised as he asked, "Who sent this message? When did the Dragon's Blood Lineage become the leader?"
Deng Fengxian shook his head. "It was a message from Li Wuyuan. He was the previous generation's Dragon's Head."
Li Luo's brows lifted slightly. He had seen Li Wuyuan once when the five lineages had gathered. The individual seemed to be rather pompous and arrogant, but the fact that he was once the Dragon's Head demonstrated that he wasn't weak.
However, what right did he have to give orders?
This command was not like one made by a Dragon's Head, but like one ordered by a Lineage Chief.
Li Luo shook his head, intending to ignore him. If he had time, he would spend it on cultivating and obtaining more strands of sword intent.
However, Deng Fengxian's next sentence caused him to helplessly shake his head.
"Li Fengyi has already made her way there."
Li Luo placed his cup of tea down and got up. With Li Fengyi's brash and wild personality, she might very well provoke trouble. Li Luo was not interested in seeing his Second Sister suffer.
"Let's go. Let's take a look at what the previous generation's Dragon's Head is like and see what he's up to," Li Luo said to Li Lingjing.
"Li Wuyuan...?" Her gaze flashed and she nodded slightly.
"I suppose that works out. I've always wanted to meet him. The Dragon's Head seat he was sitting on was originally slated to be mine..."