Chapter 1372: Li Luo, A Duke!

The two eye-catching resonant power pillars scattered the black flames. They then scattered the corruption in an eye-opening fashion before everyone's despairing gazes.

"Li Luo!" Li Hongyou, who had originally resigned herself to her fate, cried out as a look of joy appeared on her face.

Not far away, Li Foluo, Li Tingyue, Li Hongque, and the others from the Heavenly Dragon’s Guardian Armies had faces full of shock. Who would ever have expected that the two of them would be able to escape the onyx cauldron alive? However, escaping was just buying time before they died. They had jumped from one boiling pot to another. Just how could Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e change the situation when Qin Lian was simply so terrifying?

Qin Lian was also shocked senseless for a few moments. However, her vortex-like eyes began to revolve with increased intensity as a shrill and grating scream rang out. "Li Luo!"

Frightening resonant power undulations burst out of her body, and her immense killing intent seemed to have solidified.

It was obvious that she had gone completely crazy upon seeing Li Luo escape from the onyx cauldron.

"So what if you've escaped? I'd feel so much more excited if I could kill you with my own hands!" Qin Lian gloomily spat out these vicious words. At the same time, the Saturnine Luan that had grabbed hold of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo let out a screech before spewing out a stream of black flames. The black flames possessed shockingly high temperatures, and the void seemed to burn in its wake.

It was like a dragon breaking through the skies and blasting towards the two radiant pillars of light.

When everyone saw this, their hearts skipped a beat. The moment the Luan took action, even the likes of Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo were captured as easily as baby chicks. How could Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e even hope to block this?

Just as they began to worry, another pillar of light that seemed to contain immense amounts of sacred light resonant power shot out in response. It was as though a sun was being born. A gigantic and gorgeous sword was condensed with seven jewels embedded into it. At the same time, divine light wrapped around the weapon, giving it a reflective glint. The light that flowed around it was far more dazzling than any other time it had appeared before.

Tremendous resonant power undulations that exceeded everyone with the exception of Qin Lian could be felt.

Bang!

The radiant, giant sword directly clashed with the black flame tide that was spewed by the Luan. At the moment of collision, the holy sword energy immediately purified the tyrannical, black flames, leaving nothing behind!

Everyone gaped in shock at the scene. However, the sacred sword energy didn't stop there. After dealing with the black flames, it continued to zip across the skies without any loss of momentum, heavily striking the huge body of the Saturnine Luan in the blink of an eye.

That single blow almost split the Saturnine Flame Luan into two. At the same time, the talons that were holding Qin Beiming and Li Zhihuo loosened their grip. The two of them unceremoniously fell to the ground, vomiting out mouthfuls of fresh blood.

This sight caused everyone's eyes to shrink. From the moment Qin Lian had appeared, no one had been able to stop her attacks. Everyone had been suppressed and forced to retreat. This was the first time they had succeeded in counterattacking!

"That sword... was that from Jiang Qing'e? How is that possible?" Li Zhihuo muttered in disbelief as he lay defeated on the ground. After all, he could clearly sense that the sword possessed light resonant power that had far surpassed what an ordinary fifth-grade Duke was capable of wielding. Qin Beiming was similarly moved. That was a blow he could not possibly have blocked.

“How did Jiang Qing'e become so strong? Could it be?”

At this point, his gaze hurriedly turned towards the two radiant pillars of light in the distance. He could see a long-robed figure who possessed absolute beauty slowly striding forward, wreathed with sacred light. It was a stunning sight. She held a holy sword, and wings of light slowly fluttered behind her, exuding divine brilliance. Her deep, golden eyes were piercing and mysterious, giving off a unique charm that one could lose themselves in. Jiang Qing'e! Her otherworldly appearance and temperament caused everyone to pause in their tracks momentarily. It was then that they saw two dazzling lights rising from the top of her head, transforming into two Duke Bergfrieds that stood proudly in the air.

Both looked to have been made of the finest glazed glass, sacred and unsullied. Countless sacred runes were engraved upon each one, and they gave off the aura of source origin.

Most eye-catching of all was number of pillars that stood atop each one.

Ten golden pillars could be seen, symbolizing perfection and that she was unrivaled.

One Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried!

Two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds!

Gasps rang out from those watching, and someone blurted out, "Jiang Qing'e has reached the Second Duke Stage! And furthermore, the second one is also a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried!"

A second-grade Duke!

Looking at how perfect the Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds were, it was clear she was an upper second-grade! Although a normal second-grade Duke didn't mean much here, she wasn't an ordinary person. As an upper first-grade Duke, her baseline strength was capable of challenging even an ordinary fourth-grade Duke. And when she activated her Destiny-grade Duke Art, she could threaten even a fifth-grade Duke!

This meant that she likely far surpassed even the likes of Qin Beiming now! This was the tyrannical prowess of a Transcendent Duke!

"What was Jiang Qing'e doing inside that cauldron? She jumped from an upper first-grade to an upper second-grade!" Li Zhihuo found this incomprehensible. This was a jump of a full grade, and she had also formed a Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfried! The difficulty was mind-boggling.

Qin Beiming nodded in agreement as he wiped away the blood streaking from the corner of his mouth.

"Even though Jiang Qing'e has improved, she is still not an opponent for Hall Master Qin Lian."

Li Zhihuo fell silent and gritted his teeth. "Let's help her out as well."

That said, he wasn't sure how much the two of them could assist with.

"Wonderful, a second-grade with two Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds!" Whilst everyone was taken aback in amazement, Qin Lian stared at Jiang Qing'e with endless amounts of murderous intent.

"It's a pity, you are still too weak. So what if you're a second-grade Transcendent? No one will be able to save you today."

The eight Duke Bergfrieds above Qin Lian's head began to roar to life, bursting out with black flames that blotted out the skies. The scene reminded one of an apocalypse.

At this point, her killing intent had reached its peak.

The survivors could feel a suffocating pressure pushing down against them.

Their expressions remained solemn and their previous joy dissipated. Jiang Qing'e's growth was a pleasant surprise, but Qin Lian was a bonafide eighth-grade Duke! She wasn't someone they could look down on.

No matter how strong a Transcendent Duke was, the gap between them was not easily filled.

"We have to help as well!" Li Foluo shouted.

Jiang Qing'e's appearance had shown them a ray of hope.

Bang!

However, as soon his voice rang out, another beam of light burst out beside Jiang Qing'e. The energy fluctuations were incredibly vast and mighty, surprising everyone yet again.

It was strong enough that everyone's attention had turned over to it.

"My apologies, I've just broken through and I'm not familiar with how to wield this incredible power. That is why I had to take some time to sort things out..." This was accompanied by laughter.

"Li Luo?"

Jiang Qing'e's appearance had been a miracle, and they had almost forgotten about him.

Amidst their bewildered gazes, Li Luo emerged from that blazing pillar of light.

He still looked the same and his features were as sharp as before. His eyes shone brightly and a warm smile hung on his face, though something about him felt different. It was an indescribable sense of pressure. This feeling was only exacerbated when Li Luo stepped into the skies and two rays of light shot out of him. Everyone's gazes were directed towards the rays of light. The dazzling lights were accompanied by gusts of wind. After a few moments, two Duke Bergfrieds appeared before everyone’s eyes. Both of them stood tall and had an imposing presence. However, they were a little different from Jiang Qing'e's glass-like Duke Bergfrieds and were instead flowing with a myriad of different colors of brilliant light. Clear, water-like light flowed around them, constantly pouring downwards and keeping the Duke Bergfrieds unblemished and free of dust. Countless dark-green, tree-like patterns were wrapped around the Bergfrieds.

The walls were engraved with the image of a Heavenly Dragon, which emitted a majestic and mysterious presence. No one had ever seen a Duke Bergfried with so many different elements to it. However, this did not hinder their gazes, which finally lingered at the top of the Bergfrieds. There were ten ancient and towering pillars, quietly standing before their very eyes. The golden pillars were perfect with none missing, possessing a transcendent quality.

They were also Ten-Pillar Duke Bergfrieds! Everything fell silent at this moment, and numerous flabbergasted gazes stared at the sight before them.

Meanwhile, Li Luo let out a light chortle.

"Mad woman, I have to apologize. I also am..."

Li Luo waved his hand, and the Dragon Elephant Blade appeared in his grasp. Meanwhile, the two Duke Bergfrieds above him roared to life.

"A second-grade Transcendent Duke!"