Chapter 1770: New Resonance

The moment that destructive orb of light detonated, vast amounts of Authority swept out of Li Luo's body in response. At the same time, he activated all of his strongest defensive moves without hesitation.

"Dragon Blood Atavism Art, Dragon Ancestor's Physique!" he shouted, then his body instantly swelled up, its resilience swiftly rising.

A heaven-shaking roar rumbled through the sky as a titanic Heavenly Dragon appeared, its violet-gold scales gleaming in the light, flowing with an indestructible luster like precious diamonds.His current Heavenly Dragon form was even more imposing than before, extended a million feet long. Looking at him from afar, he was akin to a colossal mountain range floating in the sky. Terrifying undulations of power radiated from his body, causing the void around him to crack.

The Dragon Ancestor's Physique was the absolute pinnacle body cultivation art available to the Dragon Race. Every single scale on his body was covered with archaic dragon runes. It was as though the Dragon Ancestor had descended in the flesh—esoteric, ancient, and invincible. If Zhen Linshuang were nearby, she wouldn't be able to hold herself back.

With all these arts bolstering him, Li Luo was so confident in his defensive abilities that he believed he could withstand attacks from a Two Authority Heavenly Emperor. However, when faced with the obliterative might of the Ten Resonances Orb, he could feel a piercing pain that reached his very marrow.

The terrifying power inside the orb caused him to feel a peculiar sense of surprise intermingled with suspicion. He had once contemplated the possibility of combining his resonant powers together to create such a bomb, and in the years he had spent in secluded cultivation, he had tried to come up with a way to do so. His original intention was to use his ten resonances to create a new Transcendent Art.

Alas, fusing all of his resonances together was no easy feat. Even though he had spent years contemplating the concept, he had not succeeded, and thus could only push the idea into the recesses of his mind. Yet right before his very eyes, the Heavenly Emperor's Demon had created the very art he had imagined!

The way the energy melded and flowed inside the orb was somewhat similar to what he had deduced was possible, though there were also aspects he had never considered. He was enlightened by what he saw. After all, the Heavenly Emperor's Demon originated from him, and thus he could achieve whatever it was capable of.

It had pilfered the idea in his heart and presented it to him as a wonderful "gift" at this critical juncture—a gift that was intended to send him off, literally. He was both elated and shocked. Elated because the Transcendent Art he had envisioned now had a path forward; shocked because the orb of light was potentially powerful enough to kill him.

That said, he had to get over his surprise quickly, as the destructive power of the orb was about to reach him. A moment later, Li Luo's titanic frame started to collapse, and his supposedly indestructible scales turned white before disintegrating into dust.

Sharp pain lanced through his entire body, making him feel as though he was being wiped out of existence. His heart trembled in shock. He was capable of withstanding a Two Authority Heavenly Emperor's attack, yet he was powerless before the orb. Had it reached the realm of a Three Authority Heavenly Emperor? That was absolutely outrageous!

The thought of that filled Li Luo's heart with indignant fury. However, he knew he had to hold on, no matter the cost. He had experienced countless trials and tribulations, exerting immense effort to get to where he was today. If he were to die to the Heavenly Emperor's Demon, that would simply be humiliating and ridiculous.

Li Luo let out a heaven-shaking roar as he stimulated his bloodline to its extremes. At the same time, he activated his water, light, and wood resonances, causing large amounts of lifeforce to surge outwards, allowing him to heal his injuries.

He planned to use the innate regenerative abilities of the Heavenly Dragon form to resist the orb. After all, there was no way its energy reserves were infinite, so if he could endure its onslaught until its energy was exhausted, he would overcome this trial. If he was successful, he would succeed in his ascension to the Heavenly Emperor Stage, undergo a metamorphosis, and reach the true pinnacle of cultivation.

However, Li Luo soon realized that he had underestimated how overbearing the explosion was. Despite doing everything he could to heal his injuries, half his body was eradicated in mere moments. Blood sprayed everywhere, dying the stairway crimson. He was in so much pain that he was about to go mad, his eyes as red as his blood.

As he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, vast amounts of light poured out of his body, refilling his lost vitality and repairing his shattered body. The source of the light energy was Jiang Qing'e!

Her anxious and surprised voice rang out in his mind. "Li Luo, how could your Heavenly Emperor's Demon be so frightening?"

Li Luo smiled bitterly. They had shared senses thanks to the blood rune on Li Luo's palm. He himself had never imagined that the Ten Resonances Heavenly Emperor's Demon would use a method he had merely imagined, complete it, and then use it against him to such miraculous effect.

All he could do at this point was look at the silver lining in this catastrophe with a bittersweet smile. It seemed that the Transcendent Art he had spent years deducing was indeed exceptionally powerful.

Jiang Qing'e's light energy nourished and healed Li Luo's body, causing the destructive energy that was eroding away his very being to slow down. The remaining half of his giant body was now the battlefield. His blood continued to be shed, turning into a torrential rain that soaked the steps.

Endless amounts of pain flooded his mind, yet he remained calm and lucid, quietly observing the aura of death that arose from the annihilation of his flesh and blood. As his cells died, a surge of vitality swept across, bringing with it life. Every corner of his body was filled with the interaction of life and death. It was almost like a celebration of what it meant to be mortal.

That was when he had a sudden realization. In a sense, this was like a cycle of decline and prosperity.

A strand of greenish-yellow energy flowed out from the depths of his body. It had originated from the Withering Glory Heart Lotus' energy. Over the past few years, Li Luo had absorbed the power of the Withering Glory Heart Lotus, attempting to gain enlightenment and create a new withering glory resonance.

However, no matter how hard he tried, the withering glory resonance never came to be. He eventually realized that it was impossible to create a new resonance by solely relying on the Withering Glory Heart Lotus.

"Although I can't create a new withering glory resonance, it is not necessarily a dead end,"

he thought.

The melody of destruction and rebirth vibrated every inch of Li Luo's flesh and began to resonate with him. The aura of life and death then began to ripple, forming a cycle within him. The greenish-yellow energy from the Withering Glory Heart Lotus then combined with it.

At that moment, he truly attained a form of enlightenment.

The powers of life and death continued to erode his massive body. Because Jiang Qing'e was still connected to Li Luo via the state of Divine Knowledge, she could sense his strange state of mind. As a result, she did not disturb him, instead doing her utmost to funnel more and more light energy into his body, restoring his injuries and preventing his body from completely collapsing.

What seemed like eternity was just a moment to Li Luo. Soon, only a tenth of his body remained, but that was when his eyes opened. Stretching out his claw, a strand of greenish-yellow resonant power condensed before him.

Yan Changsheng and Su Ying, who were watching from the side, trembled, their faces filled with surprise.

"Is that the withering glory resonance?"

"Why does it look a little different?"

As the couple wondered what was going on, the greenish-yellow resonant power began to transform, its core becoming black and white. Gradually, the black and white coloration spread outwards, causing that original strand of withering glory resonant power to turn completely black and white.

The strand of resonant power slowly floated into the air like a wisp of flame. When Li Luo saw the seed of flame, a look of excitement appeared in his eyes. He had gained enlightenment of and condensed a resonance of his own!

It was derived from the withering glory resonance, but it was of an even higher realm. It now represented the power of life and death.

The lifedeath resonance!