Chapter 0650: Pei Hao's Backer

House Luolan's Headquarters, the square.

The entire place was silent as shocked looks were shot at the collapsed stone pillar. On the other side was an extremely calm Li Luo, contrasting against the storm in their hearts.

Especially Xu Tianling, whose jaw was agape.

No one had expected that this supposedly unfair battle would end in a blitz-like strike with an unimaginable result.

The two-pearl Heavenly Pearl Pei Hao had been sent flying by a single blow from Li Luo?

Cai Wei was so taken aback that she covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at Yan Lingqing, whose eyes were like saucers. "How did the Young Lord become so ferocious?"

Yan Lingqing paused for a moment. "The resonant power Li Luo's body is emitting seems to have reached the lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage..."

"The characteristic of this resonant power was extremely berserk, a far cry from the Young Lord's usual resonant power... It's most likely some sort of external aid," Yuan Qing commented.

Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing didn't feel that Li Luo utilizing some sort of external aid was cheating. In any case, Pei Hao wanted to use his superior cultivation to suppress Li Luo in a supposedly fair battle anyway. Naturally, there were no qualms in utilizing other means to achieve victory. Being able to effectively harness extraneous factors was also a power in and of itself.

This wasn't some sort of friendly debate between students in a college.

This was a battle of life and death. No methods would be spared.

Jiang Qing'e similarly focused upon Li Luo. She could feel the mad power surging out of his body, and it was the first time she had personally seen it.

During the Holy Grail Meet, the reason Li Luo had managed to beat the Greater Heavenly Disaster Class Other was likely due to this ability.

The usage of the power had significant aftereffects and had even caused serious damage to him when he had used it previously. Thus, Li Luo would not lightly tap upon this power. On the other hand, it seemed that he had immediately activated it to deal with the Heavenly Pearl Stage Pei Hao.

It was a move likely born out of necessity as the gap between the two was too large. A Fiend Palace Tier could not hold a candle before a true Heavenly Pearl Stage after all.

Jiang Qing'e turned to face the shattered stone pillar. Li Luo's strike was unexpected, and Pei Hao should have suffered critical damage. Still, thinking that Pei Hao was killed off immediately would be a little far-fetched. He had been preparing all sorts of trump cards for years, and it would be unbelievable that he had no response to this.

Li Luo, on the other hand, continued to observe the situation coolly; however, he did not relax his guard.

BANG!

At this point, the silence was broken. A giant stone fragment shot out from the rubble, flying directly at Li Luo like a missile.

The projectile disintegrated with a single strike from Li Luo, and he continued to focus intently at the heap that Pei Hao was trapped under.

At this moment, the debris of boulders began to slowly fragment and crumble into dust as frightening resonant power surged out.

BANG!

The rubble instantly pulverized into dust, slowly floating in the air, suspended by the sheer density of resonant power being emitted.

A single figure began to walk out slowly.

“Wow!”

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Cheers resounded in the square from Pei Hao's supporters. They were instantly delighted at this scene.

On the other hand, Li Luo's faction was much more somber in comparison.

Pei Hao waved his hand before everyone's eyes, and all of the dust surrounding him was blown away, revealing his ragged appearance.

His upper robes were completely torn and the indentation of a fist could be clearly seen on his chest, undoubtedly left behind by Li Luo's feral strike. At the same time, the crowd also discovered that countless black runes had appeared on his chest. Each of these runes was the size of an ant, but they were spread throughout his body like a series of black chains. In the brief span of a few breaths, Pei Hao's body was completely covered in them.

"Young Lord, you have concealed your strength greatly," Pei Hao indifferently commented.

"You're not too bad yourself," Li Luo dryly replied as he carefully inspected the black runes that had spread along Pei Hao's blood vessels. With the appearance of this strange art, Pei Hao's body gave out resonant power undulations that were rising at an extremely terrifying speed.

This was what was giving him so much confidence.

To everyone’s surprise, Pei Hao's resonant power stage began to surge, very quickly reaching the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage. However, it didn't stop there.

Li Luo frowned as Pei Hao's resonant power underwent explosive strides forward. It had to also be a form of borrowed strength... but where was it coming from? He himself had borrowed strength from the Three-tailed Heavenly Wolf, and that had required Principal Pang's assistance in transforming its energy into a form his body could handle. So where exactly had Pei Hao managed to get such an ability?

As he pondered over these thoughts, Li Luo waved his palm, and the Golden-Jade Onyx-Elephant Blade appeared in his hand.

He took a step forward without hesitation, shattering the azurestone tiling beneath him. His figure vanished as he dashed towards Pei Hao, only leaving behind a stream of red resonant power in his wake. He hacked down at Pei Hao With tyrannical might.

SWOOSH!

Pei Hao retaliated with a single upswing, and the golden sword in his hand emitted countless beams of sword light that directly clashed against Li Luo.

Sounds of metal clashing rang out as violent waves of resonant power collided and raged in the square.

In a short span of time, both parties exchanged tens of blows with no clear victor, but there was a problem. Pei Hao's battle strength was still rising. His strikes increased in both power and cruelness with each exchange. Each time a sword light whistled past, its power was incrementally higher than the one before. With his final blow, the resonant power undulations that he emitted peaked at the limit of the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage.

His very breath caused the worldly natural energy around him to roil and move, as though he had become a force of nature. At the same time, the entire sky seemed to have turned golden, with countless sword lights flowing through it, giving form to the world with his very existence.

This scene caused Yuan Qing's expression to warp. He was at the Lesser Heavenly Resonance Stage himself, but he could sense that Pei Hao was stronger than him.

"What sort of method did Pei Hao employ for his strength to increase so much?" Yuan Qing and the rest were completely taken aback, gloomy expressions on all their faces as they clenched their fists tightly.

On the square, Pei Hao pointed his sword towards Li Luo as he distinctly felt the power coursing through him. It was truly amazing! A maddened guffaw erupted from his lips. "Young Lord... It looks like the position of the House Lord will belong to me. Regardless of whether it's you or Jiang Qing'e, neither of you are my match!"

Li Luo pouted slightly. "Sheesh. You're merely borrowing some sort of external aid, and now you're drunk on power already? How miserable can you be, feeling arrogant over some misgained ability. Although I don't know how you did it, I'm sure you have to pay a pound of flesh for it."

Listening to Li Luo's piercing words, Pei Hao's gaze turned forlorn. Indeed, the cost was nothing to scoff at. Feeling only half of a heart was something that constantly reminded him of the immense price he had paid. He simply could not lose this fight today. If he did, he would lose everything he ever had, so even a greater price wouldn't matter.

"I had saved this move to deal with Jiang Qing'e, but who would have expected it would be you who would bear it?" Pei Hao poisonously stared at Li Luo with a look dripping with murderous intent.

"However, don't worry. Whatever price I pay will be repaid tenfold with your body."

"That's funny," Li Luo chortled.

Pei Hao looked sullen as he raised his sword, which had been emitting sword light, pointing it right at Li Luo once again. "Do you really think that this is the move I've spent countless years preparing?"

When he finished speaking, the entire sky blazed with golden light. Piercing sounds of swords crying out could be heard within the light, seemingly sentient. Countless visible streams of sword energy began to roil, and before long, they condensed into a massive, golden eagle that floated behind Pei Hao.

When everyone saw this, they sucked in a deep breath of air and ugly expressions surfaced on their faces.

"Worldly natural energy moving with but a thought... this is the Greater Heavenly Resonance Stage!"