Chapter 1513: Arise

When Li Luo drew the bow, the Apex Resonance Crystal Core began to overflow with glittering light. A moment later, the strange sound of flowing liquid could be heard. Light energy that had been condensed and purified to the point that it resembled holy water flowed forth. It surged out of the Apex Resonance Crystal Core and gathered on the bowstring.

However, this wasn't the end.

The skies above the Star of Light gradually illuminated and vast amounts of light energy gathered over his head him before pouring down like a waterfall.

With the aid of the upper ninth-grade light resonance, all of the light energy around him could easily be wielded as he wished.

Stupendous amounts of light energy continued to flow into the bowstring, eventually condensing into a luminous crystal arrow made of light that was simply exquisite to look at. Its length was adorned with numerous ancient runes that represented the most perfect form of light, and crystals condensed from the pinnacle of light energy were embedded into it.

Li Luo could sense the Heavenly Dragon's Sunchaser Bow shaking. Despite being upgraded into a high-grade Mythic Armament, it was barely able to withstand such huge amounts of energy. His handsome face was exceptionally calm as holy light washed over him. The Apex Resonance Crystal Core was like a vertical eye of a god, giving off a mysterious sensation that would cause anyone who saw him to be filled with reverence and worship.

After using the Absolute Resonance Halo to convert all of his resonances into a light resonance, Li Luo was unable to wield most of his Duke Arts. However, the location he was at provided certain benefits. On Thunder Finger Peak, he had borrowed the power of its thunder to repel Zhou Jun.

On the Star of Light, the density and purity of the light energy was several times greater in comparison.

Thus, this single arrow would possess terrifying destructive might. One that far surpassed the attack on Zhou Jun.

A smile still hung on Li Luo's lips. He then drew the bow fully with all his strength, locking onto the gigantic, scarlet figure. The instant the arrow was pointed towards him, Song Jing's expression turned unbearably ugly. He could feel an impending sense of danger within his heart.

Song Jing knew that Li Luo was utilizing his upper ninth-grade Light resonance to harness the light energy on the star, condensing it into this strike. Frankly speaking he couldn't believe his eyes.

If it were Jiang Qing'e or Diwu Mingxuan in his place, they might not have been able to replicate this feat either. Regardless of how impossible this was, the truth lay before his eyes.

He roared, releasing all of his power. The scarlet giant quickly formed a seal, causing boundless amounts of scarlet-gold flames to surge outwards, condensing into a gigantic bell the size of a small mountain.

The bell was similarly scarlet-gold in color and a golden crow spreading its wings was embedded on its surface, with a golden sun slowly rising beneath it.

Nine Wheels Golden Crow Dharmabody! Golden Crow Lifts the Sunbell! This was Song Jing's most powerful defensive move. Normally speaking, he was confident that no one in the same grade could break it. However, he could only hope that it was sufficient to stop Li Luo's frightening arrow.

Whoosh!

When Song Jing condensed the scarlet-gold bell, Li Luo's fingers released the bowstring, and the entire world bloomed with radiant light.

A single streak of light pierced through the skies at incredible speed.

A long chasm thousands of feet long was carved on the ground beneath its path silently and instantaneously, with both sides as smooth as glass, leaving no protruding bits. Just as the flash of light appeared, before Song Jing had time to take it in, he already heard a resounding ring that shook the world coming from the bell around him.

The arrow had already struck.

Bang!

The scarlet-gold bell shook violently and wild ringing noises continued to chime out, spreading throughout the area. The soundwaves were so destructive that even the surrounding mountains were reduced to rubble.

Song Jing poured all of his resonant power into the bell without reserve, attempting to reinforce it as much as he could. His face had turned ruddy and distorted and he had lost the calmness he held before. Alas, his actions were all in vain.

That single arrow that was augmented with the immense light energy of the star surpassed even Li Luo's Myriad Resonances Dragon Fang Sword Formation in terms of sheer power.

Kacha!

As the bell continued to shake, a subtle cracking sound could be heard. When compared to how loud the bell had chimed before, it was almost insignificant. However, to Song Jing, it was as though a thunderclap had gone off right by his head, causing his scalp to turn numb. His eyes shrank as he saw the bell begin to fracture, fault lines spreading throughout its entire surface rapidly.

"I'm screwed,"

Song Jing thought to himself as a sense of powerlessness pervaded every inch of his body.

Just as this thought ran through his mind, the boundless light seeped through the cracks and a loud explosion was heard. The burning scarlet-gold bell had literally detonated.

Boom!

Unlimited amounts of light swept through, not only disintegrating the remnants of the bell, but also flooding the gigantic figure.

The void shattered and the scarlet giant melted away in the light. The person inside was then blasted thousands of feet away, finally crashing into the ground before the sacred mountain.

A long ditch was formed as a result. A pitiful figure was embedded into the mountain at the end. His aura was weakened and sluggish and he looked exceptionally miserable. Almost all of his hair had been burned away by the light, and he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. He was bitterly staring at the youthful figure with a bow in hand. This was an unexpected result.

An upper eighth-grade Duke had been thrashed by a third-grade Transcendent. In future Celestial Mirror Pagoda trials, Li Luo's achievement would be celebrated and spread, whereas he, Song Jing, would be seen as nothing more than a stepping stone. The light in his eyes dimmed and he gradually closed them, darkness sinking in as his body collapsed due to his severe injuries.

When Li Luo saw this, he heaved a sigh of relief. The Apex Resonance Crystal Core between his eyebrows began to fade away, reverting back into numerous runes that then gradually dissipated.

His upper ninth-grade light resonance had also reverted back to his original six.

"What a terrifying resonance. Even when all six of my resonances were combined, I was only able to maintain it for a brief period of time..."

Li Luo thought to himself. If he had not used the Lesser Dragon Sacred Seed to elevate the Heavenly Dragon resonance to the middle ninth-grade, he might not have been able to reach the upper ninth-grade at all!

This was just proof of how high up such a resonance grade sat.

It was no wonder why he had not seen any Duke obtain an upper ninth-grade resonance... other than his mother and the peak stage Kings.

If Jiang Qing'e was able to fuse her three ninth-grade light resonances together, she might be able to reach such a state. It was a pity that she didn't possess the Absolute Resonance Halo and thus would be unable to do what he did.

As he thought about all this, his body didn't stop moving. He rushed into the sky, making his way towards the towering sacred mountain. Now that Song Jing had been dealt with, he would do his best to assist Jiang Qing'e to obtain the Light Transcendent Art.

Meanwhile, within the holy temple.

Diwu Mingxuan had been ascending the steps made of light slowly, akin to a devout pilgrim. As he made his way up with utmost respect in his heart, he was constantly bowing towards the statue at every turn, right until he reached the statue.

After climbing all the way up, it was as though his heart had been cleansed and he had reached a higher state of mind. Diwu Mingxuan looked back from the corner of his eye and noticed that Jiang Qing'e was still quietly standing there, motionless.

A look of happiness could be seen within his eyes. Jiang Qing'e had truly given up.

If that was the case, then the Light Transcendent Art would soon belong to him. Diwu Mingxuan once again bent down and knelt before the statue with a pious expression, allowing his Heart of Light to release its radiance, planning to gain the acceptance of the Light Transcendent Art.

However, it was at this point that he noticed that the Twelve Winged Seraphim Statue started moving.

He hurriedly raised his head in surprise. The statue emitted several holy halos of light, and the originally faceless statue's featureless face began to squirm.

Gradually, eyes, a nose, and eyebrows appeared.

All of the facial features had taken shape to form a complete face.

Its face was absolutely beautiful and at the same time, it seemed to be looking down upon him with a god-like indifference.

Diwu Mingxuan's expression sank. The statue's face resembled Jiang Qing'e! He turned his head and saw that Jiang Qing'e had vanished.

Just what happened? As his heart was in turmoil, he saw the Twelve Winged Seraphim Statue open its mouth, speaking with an indifferent but ethereal voice. "There's no need to kneel anymore. Arise."