Chapter 1670: Li Luo Enters Seclusion

The day before Li Luo was planning to go into seclusion, the First Princess returned from her journey and visited him with Pang Qianyuan and Vice Principal Su Xin. They had received news of Li Luo's plans.

"Li Luo, Qing'e, Gong Yuan and Gong Shenjun have been apprehended. If you have any ideas on how you plan to deal with them, you can let me know," the First Princess said.

Her bright cheeks were like blooming peach blossoms. Although there was a hint of fatigue on her face, her eyes were brighter than ever and her spirits were high as she had just ended a long war.

The fact that the Xia Kingdom had split into two under her watch had always been a sore point in her heart. However, she had resolved the problem before her reign ended. Despite returning with great fanfare due to this momentous act, the First Princess didn't reveal any arrogance. She was well aware of who was responsible for creating this result. Thus, even the decision of how her family members, Gong Yuan and Gong Shenjun, would be dealt with were left to the duo.

Li Luo wasn't very interested in this. Gong Shenjun's name only caused him to pause for a moment as he was reminded of the once famous individual in the Astral Sage College. Now he was merely a prisoner of war.

"First Princess, you can settle that yourself. House Luolan will not get involved with the matters of the royal court. After Li Luo goes into seclusion, we'll no longer accept visitors," Jiang Qing'e said.

She wasn't very concerned about what would happen to Gong Shenjun, and she understood why the First Princess was being so respectful towards them. Either way, she had expressed her attitude on this matter. House Luolan wasn't planning to participate in any power struggles among the powers of the Xia Kingdom. Furthermore, with the duo's strength and background, it was akin to a dragon roaming in shallow waters—it was meaningless.

The First Princess hurriedly replied, "You're the greatest pillars supporting the Xia Kingdom. Now that the world is on the verge of complete chaos, Other Disasters could strike at any time and we will need you."

Jiang Qing'e said, "If an Other Disaster occurs, I'll naturally take action."

The First Princess heaved a sigh of relief. "I'll dispatch people to monitor the East Divine Continent. Once any traces of an Other Disaster are discovered, I'll personally report to you."

Li Luo turned towards Pang Qianyuan and Vice Principal Su Xin and asked, "Principal Pang, once the Origin Reversion War begins, what does the Academic Federation plan to do?"

He would seclude himself here as the Pill Saint was also here. Refining the Divine Fruit Wind resonance required her assistance, so he needed them to ensure the Xia Kingdom's stability. Otherwise, if he reached a critical point right when the Xia Kingdom was being invaded by an Other Disaster, there would be untold consequences.

That said, there were several Kings present—Jiang Qing'e, Pang Qianyuan, and Lan Lingzi. There were also the three Beast Kings left behind by the Pill Saint. Such a lineup would've been more than sufficient to deal with any Other Disasters in the past, but the coming ones would be led by Other Kings and their Other Dominions. Thus, the opponents couldn't be underestimated.

"The Academic Federation may choose to integrate all of the sage colleges in the East Divine Continent. After which, they will subsume the kingdoms and other powers here, forming a cohesive alliance. This will allow them to more easily deal with any Other Dominions or Other Kings," Pang Qianyuan explained.

Li Luo nodded. The inner divine continents had many Heavenly Emperor lineages, but the outer divine continents didn't have this luxury. Thus, they would have to group up to improve their odds of survival.

The bright side was that the edict forbidding Heavenly Emperors from setting foot on the divine continents would last for ten years. Otherwise, if a Grand Devil King were to descend on the outer divine continents, it wouldn't matter if they banded together—the result would inevitably be death.

The Xia Kingdom would likely see an unprecedented level of prosperity and growth over the next few years as the worldly natural energy here would be more dense compared to the rest of the East Divine Continent. The reason for this change was the phenomenon created when Li Jingzhe ascended to the Heavenly Emperor Stage, blessing the lands.

The heavens and the earth themselves celebrated the rise of every Heavenly Emperor. Worldly natural energy would congregate at the location of the breakthrough without end when one gained the power of Authority. In the future, this would be a sacred land of cultivation.

Furthermore, with the onset of a troubled and conflict-laden world, Heavenly Emperor Jiang had borrowed Heavenly Fate from the future to supplement the present. In the next ten years, the Xia Kingdom would produce untold numbers of geniuses and experts. This was all the result of the birth of a new Heavenly Emperor.

In addition, those who were closely related to the Heavenly Emperor would experience benefits as well. Li Luo had personally experienced his resonant power gradually growing stronger. The only reason why the effects were not as prominent was because he had already become a Transcendent Duke. The ones who had gained the most were the likes of Li Fengyi and Li Jingtao. In just a short half a month, their resonant power had explosively grown and they were not far from the Duke Stage.

"After I seclude myself, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you, Principal Pang." Li Luo smiled as he cupped his hands.

After all, Pang Qianyuan and the rest looked as though they were going to be his protectors.

"You should come out as soon as you can. I'm not sure if I can hold on if it drags for too long," Pang Qianyuan said, only half jokingly. Even he felt apprehensive about the future as this was unprecedented.

Li Luo grinned and nodded. He spoke with the First Princess and Pang Qianyuan for a while more before sending them off. After which, he and Jiang Qing'e turned as Li Jingzhe suddenly appeared behind them.

"Are you going to begin your seclusion?" Li Jingzhe asked.

Li Luo nodded. He and Jiang Qing'e then walked forward, each taking one of Li Jingzhe's arms.

"After you begin, I'll return to the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and bring the Five Guardian Armies back with me. I've talked to Li Qingying, and she will remain here to guard you. After all, every bit of help will come a long way."

Li Jingzhe patted Li Luo's palm as he warmly said, "I'll let your mother know of what happened here. After dealing with the Tri-Pupil Enigmatic Fetus Grand Devil King that plagues us, I'll enter the Nobles' Battlefield and look for traces of Taixuan."

"Thank you, Grandpa. You'll have to be careful in the Nobles' Battlefield," Li Luo said.

Li Jingzhe nodded, then he pulled two silver pearls from his sleeve. Each one contained a bolt of raging lightning. He passed one to each of them before explaining, "The world will descend into endless strife soon and the Shadow World's Devil Kings will attack. If you ever encounter a desperate situation, you can shatter these lightning pearls and I'll be there."

"Grandpa, Heavenly Emperors won't be allowed here for the next ten years. You can't casually come and go as you please—you'll suffer a backlash," Li Luo said.

Li Jingzhe frowned, responding, "No matter how vicious the backlash is, can it be more important than my two little kids' lives?"

The duo glanced at each helplessly. Knowing how stubborn the old man was, they received the lightning pearls with the understanding that they could never use them. Li Jingzhe was willing to give his life up to protect them, but how could they bear to see that happen?

Li Jingzhe nodded approvingly and a smile appeared on his solemn and wizened face. "Work hard, you two. I hope that when I return from the Nobles' Battlefield in ten years' time, I'll be able to see my great grandchildren."

Li Luo was stunned by the sudden request before a smirk appeared on his face. He then turned his attention towards Jiang Qing'e, whose elegant face was tinged with red.

"Your grandson will do his best," he said solemnly.

Jiang Qing'e shot him an embarrassed look.

The three then strolled through House Luolan, arriving at a stone gate overlooking the lake. Past this gate was the underground palace of House Luolan, the place that was once the most important location. Li Luo had chosen to seclude himself here.

Bai Mengmeng stood in front of the stone gate along with Yu Lang and Bai Doudou. Both of them were quite restrained in Mengmeng's presence as she was still being controlled by the Pill Saint. The sense of oppression that rolled off her left them gasping for breath.

"Senior Pill Saint, my grandson has troubled you." Li Jingzhe clasped his hands towards her.

"It's a minor matter." The Pill Saint shook her head before saying to Yu Lang, "You'll come here and cultivate every six months. You practice the Resonance Origin Transformation Art, so whatever Li Luo is unable to refine, you can absorb. This will assist him with alleviating the pressure on him and can also be a great opportunity for you."

"Yes, Senior!" Yu Lang hurriedly replied. He had never thought that a piddly little third-grade Duke like him would be qualified to absorb scraps of the Divine Fruit wind resonance.

"You have to thank Mengmeng." The Pill Saint waved her hand, no longer speaking as she entered the stone gate.

Li Luo glanced at the underground palace below. He turned to give Jiang Qing'e a tight hug and then flashed a smile at Li Jingzhe, Yu Lang, and Bai Doudou. There was no more hesitation.

"It's time for me to go." As his voice sounded out, he strode into the depths. The stone gate closed behind them, blocking off the view.