Li Luo's eyes were slightly squinted. He had entered a special sort of trance whereby he could sense countless illusory lines spreading from every direction, criss-crossing into some sort of network.
The network of lines encompassed everything within a hundred meters.
He could feel that he could rally the might of the countless strands as long as he remained within the area, and when they were wrapped around his blade, they could massively amplify his strikes.
Upon closer inspection, he could see that each illusory line came from the body of a fifth division banner member.
The realization struck him that this was perhaps a special ability of the banner.
It was likely that cultivating the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath had allowed him to perceive this network. As each member was a source of strength, the higher grade Fiend Art might have allowed him to sense this more easily.
"Sub Leader, that’s Banner Drive, an art that bolsters your strength. Even though it’s not as powerful as Harmony, it can last for a significantly longer period of time and is suitable for longer battles," Zhao Yanzhi's explained in surprise.
"Banner Drive, huh?"
Li Luo's gaze flashed as he smiled. The Twenty Banners were full of indescribable mysteries, and this was a pleasant surprise.
He sighed once again. How many times would he be surprised by the foundation and methods of a Heavenly Emperor Bloodline?
Bang!
At this point, the second Big Fiendish Devil rushed towards him whilst bellowing, earth fiend energy being exhaled from its mouth as it attempted to attack Li Luo.
Seeing this, he directly slashed out with his blade.
"Thousand Watery Knives Wheel!" The swiftly flowing knife wheel made of water appeared once again. With the amplification of Banner Drive, the wheel rotated at mind-boggling speeds, humming with an ear piercing ring as the void was shredded apart.
The waterlight resonant power strengthened by earth fiend energy emitted an ear-piercing, ripping sound as the attack cleanly cut the Big Fiendish Devil in half.
The assistance of Banner Drive allowed Li Luo's resonance arts to ascend to the next level.
"It seems like I should pick up a couple more dragon-general resonance arts after this," Li Luo thought to himself as he stared at the vanishing knife wheel. The Thousand Watery Knives Wheel was something he had adapted from the Thousand Watery Knives Art. However, it was ultimately still a tiger-general resonance art that barely reached the power of an average dragon-general resonance art.
With Li Luo's rising prowess, having greater mastery of dragon-general resonance arts would be helpful in supplementing his options.
As his thoughts turned, the first Big Fiendish Devil that had its arm split bulldozed over furiously with such speed that a sonic boom could be heard.
Li Luo recomposed himself and raised his blade to retaliate.
"Level Two Divine Elephant Power!" Both of Li Luo's limbs trembled and swelled up. With the augmentation of the recently upgraded Thunderpeal Avatar, his fleshly body was strengthened by another level, enabling him to endure the strain of the Divine Elephant Power without less injuries than before.
Although his skin still tore and oozed fresh blood, he no longer looked pale and overdrawn.
Feeling the coursing power through his veins, Li Luo began to engage in battle with the two Big Fiendish Devils.
This massive battle lasted over several minutes.
When Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi each finished off a Big Fiendish Devil, Li Luo was similarly at the end of his own fight. With his blade slashing downwards, his barbaric strength tore a gigantic rift tens of meters wide across the ground, culminating with a decapitating strike on the final Big Fiendish Devil.
When that Big Fiendish Devil collapsed, a dense amount of earth fiend energy began to gather in the sky.
Li Luo raised his head and saw that a huge ball of light had formed in the air. It was made of all the escaped earth fiend energy.
"Sub Leader, stop standing in a daze and take advantage of the situation. The first division is ahead of us, and if you want to catch up to Zhong Ling and reach layer twenty-eight quicker, you have to hurry up!" Zhao Yanzhi reminded him with a shout.
Li Luo quickly recomposed himself and continued to slaughter the Fiendish Devils around him, reducing the pressure on the rest of the banner members.
With the assistance of Li Luo's Banner Drive, the fifth division swept through the remaining Fiendish Devils with utmost speed.
In the short span of an hour, all of the Fiendish Devils had been vanquished.
"Everyone, quickly rest up and adjust your states. Give us a report on your numbers," Mu Bi commanded.
A few moments later, Mu Bi made his way towards Li Luo. "Sub Leader, the fifth division has lost thirty-three individuals. The rest are in a good state and their fighting power has been maintained."
"We lost thirty-three individuals?" Li Luo frowned.
"Sub Leader, this is great news. Based on what I know, the first division has already lost a hundred men," Zhao Yanzhi consoled.
Li Luo helplessly shook his head. The Fiendish Devils were without intellect but possessed copious numbers. The Big Fiendish Devils were strong enough to threaten the average banner member. If anyone slipped up, they were bound to be grievously injured.
"Let's advance, then." He waved his hand and issued the command.
Since all blades were drawn when it came to the battle for Banner Leader with Zhong Ling, there was no need to bide his strength any longer. He would have to snatch the position with force and rally the Green Nether Banner around him.
After the fifth division had rested sufficiently, they grouped up and advanced towards the depths of the island.
Due to the previously smooth progression through the Fiendish Devil horde, the rest of the fifth division now looked at Li Luo in a new light, with both awe and respect.
They knew that Li Luo had inadvertently wielded the power known as Banner Drive. This showed that he truly lived up to the expectations of the Hall Master's son. It was their fortune to be able to serve under him.
If Li Luo were to ascend to the position of Banner Leader, the fifth division would become the core division.
The fifth division continued to advance, and their power as a whole had been greatly magnified with Li Luo's presence. Layer twenty-eight's Fiendish Devils continued to be slaughtered mercilessly as they advanced with increasing ferocity.
Two hours later.
The fifth division arrived in the depths of the island.
They had lost one hundred and ten members, a number that was acceptable to everyone but Li Luo, who remained slightly dissatisfied. Normally speaking, they would have lost twice as many members to reach this stage.
"Sub Leader, our losses are lower than that of the first division by quite a margin. It's all because of your support, and everyone is very thankful for that."
Li Shi didn't speak often, but this time he actually took the initiative to inform Li Luo of the situation. Increasing amounts of respect and awe could be seen on the members' faces.
Although they had just started their expedition into the Fiendish Devil Cave, the strength Li Luo had demonstrated was something they all acknowledged.
Zhao Yanzhi also lightly supported Li Shi's words with a radiant smile. "Sub Leader, we have already arrived at the depths of layer twenty-eight. What awaits us is the Fiendish Devil Leader. I believe Zhong Ling has yet to accomplish the task of slaying the creature; otherwise, we would have been teleported to the next layer already."
Li Luo raised his head towards the front. The thick and dense jungle before him had given way to a lake with a surface smooth like glass. The only thing was that a frigid air seemed to waft from the depths of the water, directly freezing it over.
The cold air also formed a slight fog that coalesced atop the lake.
Dong!
A sturdy and robust shadow appeared within the cold fog. At the same time, a frightening aura that suppressed all rolled forth, covering the entire area.
The banner members' expressions changed upon feeling the domineering pressure.
Even Li Luo's gaze turned somber upon this sight.
Zhao Yanzhi's voice lightly resounded in his ear. "Sub Leader, this is the Fiendish Devil Leader. Based on what we know, it should be at the Heavenly Resonance Stage.
"If you want to defeat it, you will have to rely on achieving Harmony."
"How did you deal with the Fiendish Devil Leaders in the past?" Li Luo asked softly.
The trio glanced at each other sheepishly with bitter smiles.
"After we reached the twentieth layer and below, we never actually encountered any of the Fiendish Devil Leaders and were carried the whole way. This is actually our first time..."
Li Luo was left a little speechless, but he immediately consoled them.
"You can relax. The fifth division will no longer be knocked around like deadweight."
He then stretched out his hand and clenched his fist lightly.
"Fifth division, obey my commands. Prepare to achieve the state of Harmony. This is the time we will reveal our prowess to the Green Nether Banner!"
With his edict, the thousand-odd members of the banner were roused and their blood began to burn with anticipation.
They had been mocked for being deadweights for the past half a year. Was it finally time for them to show their strength?
Li Luo's eyes were slightly squinted. He had entered a special sort of trance whereby he could sense countless illusory lines spreading from every direction, criss-crossing into some sort of network.
The network of lines encompassed everything within a hundred meters.
He could feel that he could rally the might of the countless strands as long as he remained within the area, and when they were wrapped around his blade, they could massively amplify his strikes.
Upon closer inspection, he could see that each illusory line came from the body of a fifth division banner member.
The realization struck him that this was perhaps a special ability of the banner.
It was likely that cultivating the Nine Revolutions Draconic Breath had allowed him to perceive this network. As each member was a source of strength, the higher grade Fiend Art might have allowed him to sense this more easily.
"Sub Leader, that’s Banner Drive, an art that bolsters your strength. Even though it’s not as powerful as Harmony, it can last for a significantly longer period of time and is suitable for longer battles," Zhao Yanzhi's explained in surprise.
"Banner Drive, huh?"
Li Luo's gaze flashed as he smiled. The Twenty Banners were full of indescribable mysteries, and this was a pleasant surprise.
He sighed once again. How many times would he be surprised by the foundation and methods of a Heavenly Emperor Bloodline?
Bang!
At this point, the second Big Fiendish Devil rushed towards him whilst bellowing, earth fiend energy being exhaled from its mouth as it attempted to attack Li Luo.
Seeing this, he directly slashed out with his blade.
"Thousand Watery Knives Wheel!" The swiftly flowing knife wheel made of water appeared once again. With the amplification of Banner Drive, the wheel rotated at mind-boggling speeds, humming with an ear piercing ring as the void was shredded apart.
The waterlight resonant power strengthened by earth fiend energy emitted an ear-piercing, ripping sound as the attack cleanly cut the Big Fiendish Devil in half.
The assistance of Banner Drive allowed Li Luo's resonance arts to ascend to the next level.
"It seems like I should pick up a couple more dragon-general resonance arts after this," Li Luo thought to himself as he stared at the vanishing knife wheel. The Thousand Watery Knives Wheel was something he had adapted from the Thousand Watery Knives Art. However, it was ultimately still a tiger-general resonance art that barely reached the power of an average dragon-general resonance art.
With Li Luo's rising prowess, having greater mastery of dragon-general resonance arts would be helpful in supplementing his options.
As his thoughts turned, the first Big Fiendish Devil that had its arm split bulldozed over furiously with such speed that a sonic boom could be heard.
Li Luo recomposed himself and raised his blade to retaliate.
"Level Two Divine Elephant Power!" Both of Li Luo's limbs trembled and swelled up. With the augmentation of the recently upgraded Thunderpeal Avatar, his fleshly body was strengthened by another level, enabling him to endure the strain of the Divine Elephant Power without less injuries than before.
Although his skin still tore and oozed fresh blood, he no longer looked pale and overdrawn.
Feeling the coursing power through his veins, Li Luo began to engage in battle with the two Big Fiendish Devils.
This massive battle lasted over several minutes.
When Zhao Yanzhi, Li Shi, and Mu Bi each finished off a Big Fiendish Devil, Li Luo was similarly at the end of his own fight. With his blade slashing downwards, his barbaric strength tore a gigantic rift tens of meters wide across the ground, culminating with a decapitating strike on the final Big Fiendish Devil.
When that Big Fiendish Devil collapsed, a dense amount of earth fiend energy began to gather in the sky.
Li Luo raised his head and saw that a huge ball of light had formed in the air. It was made of all the escaped earth fiend energy.
"Sub Leader, stop standing in a daze and take advantage of the situation. The first division is ahead of us, and if you want to catch up to Zhong Ling and reach layer twenty-eight quicker, you have to hurry up!" Zhao Yanzhi reminded him with a shout.
Li Luo quickly recomposed himself and continued to slaughter the Fiendish Devils around him, reducing the pressure on the rest of the banner members.
With the assistance of Li Luo's Banner Drive, the fifth division swept through the remaining Fiendish Devils with utmost speed.
In the short span of an hour, all of the Fiendish Devils had been vanquished.
"Everyone, quickly rest up and adjust your states. Give us a report on your numbers," Mu Bi commanded.
A few moments later, Mu Bi made his way towards Li Luo. "Sub Leader, the fifth division has lost thirty-three individuals. The rest are in a good state and their fighting power has been maintained."
"We lost thirty-three individuals?" Li Luo frowned.
"Sub Leader, this is great news. Based on what I know, the first division has already lost a hundred men," Zhao Yanzhi consoled.
Li Luo helplessly shook his head. The Fiendish Devils were without intellect but possessed copious numbers. The Big Fiendish Devils were strong enough to threaten the average banner member. If anyone slipped up, they were bound to be grievously injured.
"Let's advance, then." He waved his hand and issued the command.
Since all blades were drawn when it came to the battle for Banner Leader with Zhong Ling, there was no need to bide his strength any longer. He would have to snatch the position with force and rally the Green Nether Banner around him.
After the fifth division had rested sufficiently, they grouped up and advanced towards the depths of the island.
Due to the previously smooth progression through the Fiendish Devil horde, the rest of the fifth division now looked at Li Luo in a new light, with both awe and respect.
They knew that Li Luo had inadvertently wielded the power known as Banner Drive. This showed that he truly lived up to the expectations of the Hall Master's son. It was their fortune to be able to serve under him.
If Li Luo were to ascend to the position of Banner Leader, the fifth division would become the core division.
The fifth division continued to advance, and their power as a whole had been greatly magnified with Li Luo's presence. Layer twenty-eight's Fiendish Devils continued to be slaughtered mercilessly as they advanced with increasing ferocity.
Two hours later.
The fifth division arrived in the depths of the island.
They had lost one hundred and ten members, a number that was acceptable to everyone but Li Luo, who remained slightly dissatisfied. Normally speaking, they would have lost twice as many members to reach this stage.
"Sub Leader, our losses are lower than that of the first division by quite a margin. It's all because of your support, and everyone is very thankful for that."
Li Shi didn't speak often, but this time he actually took the initiative to inform Li Luo of the situation. Increasing amounts of respect and awe could be seen on the members' faces.
Although they had just started their expedition into the Fiendish Devil Cave, the strength Li Luo had demonstrated was something they all acknowledged.
Zhao Yanzhi also lightly supported Li Shi's words with a radiant smile. "Sub Leader, we have already arrived at the depths of layer twenty-eight. What awaits us is the Fiendish Devil Leader. I believe Zhong Ling has yet to accomplish the task of slaying the creature; otherwise, we would have been teleported to the next layer already."
Li Luo raised his head towards the front. The thick and dense jungle before him had given way to a lake with a surface smooth like glass. The only thing was that a frigid air seemed to waft from the depths of the water, directly freezing it over.
The cold air also formed a slight fog that coalesced atop the lake.
Dong!
A sturdy and robust shadow appeared within the cold fog. At the same time, a frightening aura that suppressed all rolled forth, covering the entire area.
The banner members' expressions changed upon feeling the domineering pressure.
Even Li Luo's gaze turned somber upon this sight.
Zhao Yanzhi's voice lightly resounded in his ear. "Sub Leader, this is the Fiendish Devil Leader. Based on what we know, it should be at the Heavenly Resonance Stage.
"If you want to defeat it, you will have to rely on achieving Harmony."
"How did you deal with the Fiendish Devil Leaders in the past?" Li Luo asked softly.
The trio glanced at each other sheepishly with bitter smiles.
"After we reached the twentieth layer and below, we never actually encountered any of the Fiendish Devil Leaders and were carried the whole way. This is actually our first time..."
Li Luo was left a little speechless, but he immediately consoled them.
"You can relax. The fifth division will no longer be knocked around like deadweight."
He then stretched out his hand and clenched his fist lightly.
"Fifth division, obey my commands. Prepare to achieve the state of Harmony. This is the time we will reveal our prowess to the Green Nether Banner!"
With his edict, the thousand-odd members of the banner were roused and their blood began to burn with anticipation.
They had been mocked for being deadweights for the past half a year. Was it finally time for them to show their strength?
