Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e followed the three Kings and made their way to the towering altar. Wang Xuanjin suddenly paused and his gaze turned serious. After which, the three-layered crown above him rumbled, causing vast amounts of source origin energy to flow, taking the form of a stream of energy that surged towards the void.
As the pure energy rushed forward like a tide, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e saw traces of gray energy appear. These thin strands of gray energy were almost invisible to the naked eye, but they were capable of blocking the torrent of energy coming from Wang Xuanjin.
In fact, the gray energy continued to cause the boundless pure energy to constantly dissipate into nothingness.
"A Heavenly Emperor's power is truly terrifying," Wang Xuanjin said with a sigh.
The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor had casually set down some restrictions to protect the location, and it was capable of forcibly stopping a Triple Crowned King.
The gulf between the two stages was large beyond comprehension.
"I'll have to ask the two of you to help me," Wang Xuanjin said to the two elders.
The other two naturally nodded, and the three Kings took action together. A tsunami wave of source origin energy flowed, shattering the void.
As the three took action, the gray strands of energy that surrounded the ancient altar was gradually forced backwards, then a part of it broke apart from the pressure.
"You can go ahead. The three of us will do our best to suppress the surrounding Greater Emptiness Energy. Otherwise, you'll be wiped out in an instant," Wang Xuanjin said in a low voice.
"Thank you." Li Luo clasped his hands respectfully towards them before taking a deep breath and stepping through the crack with Jiang Qing'e right behind.
When Li Luo descended, he finally stepped on the ancient stone base of the altar.
At that very instant, he could sense the Absolute Resonance Halo within his body letting out a cry.
It was a cry filled with desire and emotion.
Feeling slightly dazed by this reaction, he sat cross-legged on the altar and, with a thought, activated the Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art.
Weng!
The Absolute Resonance Halo began to spin even more quickly, and within its center, where the cauldron was, the Acquired Resonance flame began to burn. The flame then followed along with the spinning trajectory of the Absolute Resonance Halo, creating a wheel of flames. At that very instant, the ancient altar seemed to have sensed this and started rumbling.
Ancient radiance spilled forth from the altar. However, what was strange was that outsiders simply couldn't see this light. To Li Luo, though, it had transformed into many tiny words.
It was the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art! Emotion filled Li Luo's eyes. After spending immense amounts of effort, he had managed to find the legendary secret art. With it, he could finally fill up his fourth blank palace. At the same time, he felt a sudden epiphany dawn upon him. The moment the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art was cultivated, he would truly become the successor of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect's Sect Master. At that point in time, it might be possible for him to contest the authority held by the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor with the bluestone seal. Thus, Li Luo quickly composed himself, engraving the ancient words into his mind. As he comprehended more and more of the words, the Absolute Resonance Halo began to undergo a change.
Originally, the halo was mottled and filled with cracks. However, it began to glow ever more brightly, as if a coat of dull paint had been removed, revealing its brilliance and wonder.
Meanwhile, in the cauldron in the center of the Absolute Resonance Halo, the surging Acquired Resonance Flame began to compress violently, turning into a flame seed.
However, Li Luo could feel that the condensed version of the Acquired Resonance Flame was undergoing a qualitative change.
Once completed, it should become the Greater Void Resonance Flame, which would grant him the ability to refine his fourth acquired resonance. He held a great sense of anticipation as he quietly waited for the Absolute Resonance Halo to evolve. However, he was so immersed in this change that he had not even realized that the divine resonance that was being captured by the bluestone seal had paused and begun to tremble. This change had not gone unnoticed by the Heavenly Emperors.
"Oh?" The Cloud Heavenly Emperor let out a surprised cry, then his white eyes turned towards Li Luo on the ancient altar. He immediately understood what had happened, and he thought to himself, "So it turns out that the ancient altar hides a secret art that can complete Li Luo's Absolute Resonance Seed. Once it is completed, Li Luo will truly become the successor of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect's Sect Master. This is sure to negatively affect the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's bluestone seal."
Although the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor held the seal that represented the Sacred Void Resonance Sect Master, it could not override the permissions of the Sect Master himself!
"Hmph! You're just a lucky brat who stumbled upon the Absolute Resonance Seed. Do you really think that you can become the Sect Master just like that?" The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor snorted coldly. It then formed a handseal, causing the bluestone seal to turn away from the Heavenly Emperor remains and shoot towards Li Luo.
"Conveying the Sect Master's will: that child has acted rebelliously! Immediately deprive him of the rights to cultivate the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art!" As soon as the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor finished speaking, the bluestone seal began to emit mysterious waves in the direction of the ancient altar, as though communicating with something.
The ancient altar began to obey the command. The originally radiant light that was spilling forth began to dim and the words in Li Luo's mind started to disappear.
Meanwhile, the Absolute Resonance Halo within Li Luo's body also began to dim and its transformation was halted.
This change shocked Li Luo. He had not expected that the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor could use the authority of the bluestone seal to issue a command that could interrupt the transmission of the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. It was clear that unless he fully obtained the art, his authority would remain a step beneath that of the bluestone seal.
If the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor wished to suppress him, even the Cloud Heavenly Emperor couldn't do anything about it. After all, this was all in line with the Sacred Void Resonance Sect's rules. If Li Luo wanted the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, he would have to follow them, and even destroying the ancient altar wouldn't change things. If he wanted to resist, he would require the same level of authority! However, how would he know of the rules?
Li Luo's expression turned ugly. The Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art, the thing he desired the most right now, was right before him, but the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor had decided to stick its fingers into this. Li Luo had no way to resist.
Was he going to watch helplessly as the altar took back the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art and prevented his Absolute Resonance Halo's transformation?
He was unwilling to see that happen.
When Jiang Qing'e saw this, she couldn't help but to take a step forward.
But at this moment, Li Luo swiped the pocket sphere on his wrist and another burst of light appeared. An ancient bronze lamp was produced, the flame inside it as small as a bean. However, the flame grew brighter and brighter and then a figure appeared above the altar. When the figure appeared, a loud voice echoed out. "Sect Master, I, Wang Taixi, one of the Void Resonance's Six Sons, commend this son's talent and character. I'm willing to recommend him as an inheritor of the position of Legacy Sacred Son. I hope the Sect Master agrees."
His voice resounded through the heavens and the earth, as if coming from ancient times, transcending time and space itself and shaking the entire universe.
Chapter 1534: Void Resonance's Six Sons, Wang Taixi
The grand voice boomed endlessly throughout the heavens and the earth, attracting surprised eyes. Even the Cloud Heavenly Emperor and the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor looked at the sight with astonishment. They could see a person floating above the ancient altar. He was a man as tall as a pine tree, garbed in a robe embroidered with a golden sun. His demeanor was heroic and his eyes were deep like the abyss, giving others a sense of peace and wisdom.
He emanated an ancient aura, as though he didn't belong in this era. Everything about him seemed completely alien.
"Void Resonance's Six Sons, Wang Taixi?" Li Luo was similarly surprised by this development. He had never thought that taking out the bronze lamp during this critical moment would lead to this person popping out. Li Luo was once again reminded of what had happened in the Spiritual Resonance Cave all those years ago, when he had encountered the Lantern Bearer. He was like a restless spirit constantly drifting around the area. His name was Wang Taixi and he was one of the Sacred Void Resonance Sect's Six Sons.
Most importantly, hadn't he long disappeared from the world of the living? How had he reappeared?
The Wang Taixi before Li Luo now had a much more mature and vast aura when compared to the ghost he had seen inside the Spiritual Resonance Cave, when he acted as the Lantern Bearer. Li Luo's mind was filled with all sorts of questions and guesses, but regardless, this was great news.
As Wang Taixi's voice echoed, the bluestone seal that had been communicating with the ancient altar began to tremble, as if it was evaluating his words.
A few moments later, the bluestone seal turned away as though it had verified Wang Taixi's identity. It was no longer fixated on the ancient altar, and it stopped transmitting the command. Li Luo was excited to discover that the gigantic altar was once again releasing immense amounts of divine light. The Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art's transmission had restarted once again.
The Absolute Resonance Halo within his body began to blaze with flames and resumed with its transformation. Wang Taixi's appearance had clearly disrupted the command the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor had given to the bluestone seal.
Clearly, Wang Taixi's position within the Sacred Void Resonance Sect was also incredibly high. From his words, he had enough power to recommend someone to be part of the Sacred Sons. Based on Li Luo's understanding, every Legacy Sacred Son was a candidate for the Sect Master's position.
Wang Taixi had used his authority to recognize Li Luo, which meant that the bluestone seal would have to recognize him as well. In this case, the process and rules had been followed appropriately.
Thus, Li Luo was now allowed to cultivate the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art.
"The Sacred Void Resonance Sect's rules are a little too strict..."
Li Luo thought to himself. However, this was also to be expected. The sect was a gigantic behemoth of its era, and its strength and foundation surpassed imagination. Even the current Academic Federation and Origin Reversion Institute paled in comparison. In order to ensure that such a huge sect could continue to prosper for a long time, its rules and hierarchy had to be strict.
"Thank you, senior." Li Luo shelved the unimportant thoughts in his mind and respectfully clasped his fists towards Wang Taixi.
Wang Taixi stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with the vicissitudes of time whilst his body remained in an ethereal state. It was clear that he no longer existed in the world, but he still glanced at the Celestial Mirror Pagoda with complex emotions in his eyes.
"I never thought that I, a mere spiritual remnant, would be able to set my eyes on this place again." Wang Taixi sighed lightly before turning towards Li Luo.
"I suppose I have to thank you for this. Granting you the position of a Legacy Sacred Son can be considered a show of a gratitude."
On the other hand, Li Luo could see that Wang Taixi's eyes were occasionally filled with confusion but other times clear, a strange sight to behold. It seemed as though he wouldn't be able to remain here for much longer.
The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor looked at Wang Taixi with a face full of shocked fury as it coldly asked, "Void Resonance's Six Sons, Wang Taixi? A mere shadow from ages past dares to meddle in my matters?"
With a thought, he activated the bluestone seal and used it to issue yet another order. "Representing the Sect Master's will: strip the Void Resonance's Six Sons' Wang Taixi of his title."
If Wang Taixi lost his position as the Void Resonance's Six Sons, his previous command for Li Luo to become a Legacy Sacred Son would be nullified.
However, the bluestone seal merely emitted a faint light and nothing happened. The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's expression sunk.
It was then that Wang Taixi gave a shallow smile. "I don't know how this Heavenly Emperor from a younger generation has managed to obtain the Sect Master's seal. However, you don't seem to know the process for which the Sacred Void Resonance Sect dismisses the Six Sons. Even the Sect Master would have to summon the entire Council of Elders and gather all Six Sons at the same time to accomplish this. With that in mind, how could you, a mere outsider who is only holding the Sect Master's seal, accomplish this? However, seeing that an outsider dares to brandish the Sect Master's seal, it means that the Sacred Void Resonance Sect no longer exists in this era."
At this point, Wang Taixi's eyes showed a deep sense of bewilderment and confusion as he mumbled to himself, "How could this be possible? The Sacred Void Resonance Sect lorded over the entire era under the guidance of the Sect Master. We were flourishing and invincible. How could we have fallen? Furthermore, why am I here? When the Sacred Void Resonance Sect organized an expedition into the Shadow World to put an end to the disasters that have lasted for countless years, I was ambushed and killed by three Grand Devil Kings. The Sect Master even said that he would resurrect me after that... The Sacred Void Resonance Sect should have won that battle in the end, right? I clearly saw that the Sect Master had walked to the end of the Shadow World and found the root of all evil, so how could the Sacred Void Resonance Sect have fallen?"
The confusion in his eyes intensified and he dimmed greatly. While Wang Taixi's thoughts were in chaos, the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor waved its sleeve, causing gray energy to descend from the skies, turning everything into nothingness.
It planned to wipe out Li Luo, Jiang Qing'e, Wang Taixi, and the rest in a single go.
But just before the gray energy could land, a humongous lotus made of violet energy appeared above the altar, sheltering those beneath from the Greater Emptiness Energy.
The Cloud Heavenly Emperor had taken action yet again.
"Emptiness Heavenly Emperor, your opponent is me," the Cloud Heavenly Emperor said with a grin. He pointed with his finger, and endless amounts of violet energy condensed, sealing off the entire area like a prison and trapping the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor within.
The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's body bloomed with an astounding amount of mysterious light, projecting a sea of inky black water with no end in sight. At the same time, a humongous pitch-black demon ape stood up, spewing out a stream of saturnine energy.
Bang!
The inky black seawater suddenly shattered and another titanic figure surfaced. It was a three-headed Flood Dragon, its eyes glinting with murderous ferocity, shaking the heavens and the earth.
These were the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's resonances in physical form!
Emptiness resonance, Demon Ape resonance, inkwater resonance, Three Headed Flood Dragon resonance. It then grasped outwards with its hand, allowing all four resonances to gather on its palm, transforming into a black jade bottle. The bottle's exterior was engraved with the images of a demon ape and a flood dragon. A moment later, the jade bottle tipped over, pouring out grayish-black seawater.
Everything it touched was reduced absolute nothingness, a space that was emptied out.
"Cloud Heavenly Emperor, even if you let Li Luo become a Legacy Sacred Son, do you think he can change anything? The Divine Fruit crystal resonance is not something a piddly Duke can get involved with. If he approaches the depths of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda, he will be wiped out by the mere aura emitted by the Heavenly Emperor's dead heart!" the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor said indifferently.
The Cloud Heavenly Emperor didn't reply. He knew that what the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor was saying was true. Li Luo was like an ant making its way across the riverside where two rivers collided. If even a small wave were to strike in his direction, he would be wiped out. It was indeed wishful thinking to hope that Li Luo could change the situation. However, even so, he couldn't let the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor obtain the Divine Fruit crystal resonance.
The Cloud Heavenly Emperor then formed a handseal with a single hand, and vast amounts of purple clouds condensed in the world around them. After which, billions of creatures walked out of the clouds, filled with vitality and sentience, as though they were living creatures.
The creatures chatted and laughed gaily as they joined hands to welcome the sea of annihilation.
He would use life to counter the emptiness.
As the Heavenly Emperors exchanged blows, Li Luo was gradually taking in the transmission of the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art. In the depths of his body, the flames surrounding the Absolute Resonance Halo gradually faded away, all of it consolidating within the cauldron in the middle.
The Absolute Resonance Halo had undergone a grand transformation after going through its baptism of flames. All of its defects had been fully repaired, creating a perfect golden wheel. The wheel was engraved with many primordial runes that emanated an aura that seemed to have been created when the world first came into existence. Most importantly, the cauldron in the middle of the Absolute Resonance Halo had a fist-sized flame quietly suspended within it.
Platinum-colored flames gradually started to burn...
This was the Greater Void Resonance Flame that could finally refine his fourth blank palace!
Chapter 1535: Greater Void Resonance Flame
Greater Void Resonance Flame! Li Luo surged with emotion when he looked at the platinum flame seed. After many years of bitter cultivation, he had finally obtained the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art and the Greater Void Resonance Flame! With this, he could finally refine his fourth acquired resonance. Now he felt like the Absolute Resonance Seed had reached a preliminary stage of completeness.
However, to reach the realm of Grand Perfection, he was still lacking something...
"The Myriad Resonances Golden Pill,"
Li Luo remembered. That was perhaps the last thing he needed.
Li Luo had a vague feeling that it was an indispensable item that would allow the Absolute Resonance Seed to reach true perfection. it might very well be the essence of what made it special.
However, the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill was hard to get even within the Sacred Void Resonance Sect. Only the one who stood out amongst the Legacy Sacred Sons and was confirmed to be the next Sect Master would manage to obtain it.
That said, Li Luo didn't have any methods to obtain the Myriad Resonances Golden Pill at the moment. He would have to look for other opportunities in the future. At the very least, finding the refining method would be sufficient.
With these thoughts in mind, Li Luo realized that the Absolute Resonance Halo was beginning to spin uncontrollably, and a mysterious roar echoed out from his body.
He could then sense a devouring force being transmitted to the outside world.
When he opened his eyes, he looked at the target of the devouring force, and his expression stiffened. It was none other than where the Divine Fruit crystal resonance was located.
"Calm down! Can't get myself killed..."
Li Luo was so frightened that cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He tried his best to suppress the urges of the Absolute Resonance Halo. That was a joke, right? Even the Heavenly Emperors were fighting over the crystal resonance! It had produced a Divine Fruit, and with his current strength, he wouldn't live long enough to enjoy the fruits of his labor even if he managed to obtain this crystal resonance. The sheer undulations of energy emitted by the supreme ninth-grade resonance were sufficient to ruin him. Furthermore, the towering Heavenly Emperor corpse was also in the depths of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. The corpse gave off terrifying energy fluctuations as well and was capable of stopping any Duke in their tracks.
Despite Li Luo's rationality, the Absolute Resonance Halo felt a deep desire for it and continued to roar as it erupted with a strange power. This power was capable of traversing the void and influencing the Divine Fruit crystal resonance. The resonance had been floating towards the bluestone seal until now, but its speed quickly dwindled thanks to the mysterious force.
"You actually dare to compete against the Sect Master's seal for the crystal resonance? Are you crazy?"
Li Luo was literally shaking in his boots at the moment. That said, he also understood in his heart that obtaining the Greater Acquired Resonance Godly Forging Art signified that he had successfully obtained the position of Legacy Sacred Son. From a certain point of view, he had truly become a candidate for the Sect Master position.
With such an important position, the bluestone seal had no way to suppress him.
Putting it into perspective, Li Luo was now like a crown prince, whereas the bluestone seal was merely an imperial seal and the one wielding it was a trusted eunuch, but not the emperor himself.
"Hmph!" This development was discovered by the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor instantly, and fury blazed within its eyes. It could clearly sense that the authority held by the bluestone seal had separated into two.
It was because of this that Li Luo was capable of pulling the Divine Fruit crystal resonance in his direction.
"You're just an ant, yet you dare to act presumptuously?" With a thought, the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor caused its power to descend from the skies, adding onto the power emitted by the bluestone seal. Since both parties had equal authority, he would just suppress the opponent with force. After all, Li Luo was far, far weaker than him.
With the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor taking an active role, the light coming from the bluestone seal surged, causing the crystal resonance to move in its direction again.
When Li Luo saw this, he didn't know whether to sigh in relief or to feel disappointed.
Trying to compete against a Heavenly Emperor for a treasure was a little too stressful.
Just as Li Luo heaved a sigh of relief, Jiang Qing'e suddenly piped up. "Let me help you."
She stretched her slender hand out and grabbed Li Luo's palm, interlocking their fingers.
"Huh?" Li Luo had barely snapped out of his daze, though to his surprise, the Absolute Resonance Halo started spinning happily when Jiang Qing'e grabbed his hand, as though it had gained a special level of authority. While he lacked strength, he certainly didn't lack authority in the Celestial Mirror Pagoda! With Jiang Qing'e's authority and Li Luo's position as a Legacy Sacred Son, a surprising result came about. The Divine Fruit crystal resonance stopped in its tracks and slowly started to drift towards Li Luo yet again. This development left Li Luo surprised.
He glanced at Jiang Qing'e, and his expression turned complex. "Could it be that you're the legendary Sect Master's progeny?"
Perhaps only with the addition of such a person could they suppress the influence a Heavenly Emperor had over the crystal resonance.
"I don't know." Jiang Qing'e shook her head. Li Luo wanted to find Wang Taixi and ask him if he knew of Jiang Qing'e's true identity. However, looking at how much strife was going on all around them, he abandoned that thought.
While Li Luo was going through all of his in his head, the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor had become increasingly incensed. It had not expected that a Heavenly Emperor like itself would be unable to compete with two mere Dukes! However, strictly speaking, it wasn't directly fighting against the duo. Instead, it was a competition over the authority held within the Sacred Void Resonance Sect and its rules. Unless it chose to destroy everything, including the Celestial Mirror Pagoda itself and the Divine Fruit crystal resonance along with the couple, it was subject to the limitations within the area. The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor almost wanted to flip the table over at this point, but the Cloud Heavenly Emperor was preventing it from doing so.
"Moths flying into the flame. You're seeking death. If you want the Divine Fruit crystal resonance so badly, I'll give it to you."
However, the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor wasn't an easy opponent to deal with. Since he didn't have the advantage in terms of authority, he stopped the bluestone seal.
Now that the bluestone seal was no longer attempting to capture the crystal resonance, the crystal resonance paused in the depths of the void. Instead, Li Luo felt a terrifying attractive force surging from it, dragging him into the depths of the Celestial Mirror Pagoda. It seemed like the only reason why this hadn't happened earlier was because of the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's interference!
Li Luo's expression turned horrified. The depths of the pagoda contained the Heavenly Emperor's remains, and just the remnant undulations of power emanating from the corpse would wipe him out in an instant. This was the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's plan!
Li Luo shot off like a cannonball against his will, still holding Jiang Qing'e's hand tightly. Thus, the two of them were pulled along, circulating all of their resonant power in an attempt to stabilize themselves, but it was to no avail. The two could only stare blankly as they were sucked into the unstable region surrounding the corpse.
When the Cloud Heavenly Emperor sensed this, his expression changed. He immediately waved his sleeve, causing violet energy to rush over, attempting to prevent the two from being sucked deeper.
However, grayish energy appeared as well, quickly negating it.
It was the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor's turn to disrupt things.
"Didn't you want to fight? Why don't we let those two go ahead?" the Emptiness Heavenly Emperor calmly said.
As the others watched with horrified gazes, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e flew through the void at high speed. It looked like it was just a matter of time before they would collide with the danger zone and be annihilated in body and spirit.
A sigh then echoed out. The source was Wang Taixi! His figure had become extremely faint, and he stretched out his hand at this moment, forming a seal towards the Heavenly Emperor's remains. Everyone was shocked to discover that the Heavenly Emperor's remains that had been emitting unstable waves of power began to restrain and halt the emission of those waves! As a result, the zone of destruction also vanished.
"How's that possible?!" The Emptiness Heavenly Emperor and the Cloud Heavenly Emperor's eyes shrunk upon seeing this. After all, Wang Taixi was merely a lingering spirit remnant and didn't possess much strength of his own. How could he havve forcibly controlled the Heavenly Emperor's remains?
Wang Taixi's expression was complicated as he glanced at the corpse in the depths of the void, and he sighed once again.
"Although I'm merely a spiritual remnant that should no longer exist in this world... controlling my own corpse for a moment should be doable."