The news of the Green Nether Banner's completion of layer seventy-one of the Fiendish Devil Cave spread throughout almost the entire Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages in the following days, which naturally garnered much attention.

Normally speaking, a regular completion of the Fiendish Devil Cave wouldn't have caused such a big stir. After all, the Twenty Banners were just small fry in the context of the entire Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li.

But its completion in this particular time was different.

Because this could be the birth of a new record.

The previous record set by Li Taixuan had been untouched for decades, and it had become a barrier that every subsequent generation of the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages' geniuses were unable to overcome.

However, Li Luo seemed to have truly raised the possibility of breaking the record.

Still, not everyone was optimistic. After all, pa.s.sing layer seventy-one did not mean that one could successfully clear the final level.

The difficulty of layer seventy-two was well known to everyone. Otherwise, it would not have become a roadblock that made so many of the geniuses from the Twenty Banners discuss it with fear.

In the past century, only thirteen banners had managed to pa.s.s layer seventy-two.

Each generation of the Twenty Banners lasted about two to three years, and most banners only cleared the seventy-second layer after the two-year mark.

And those who were able to pa.s.s before two years were few and far between.

Li Taixuan's one year and seven month record was simply an insurmountable mountain in the eyes of the geniuses of the various banners.

And now, Li Luo was attempting to scale that very mountain and leave behind an even higher peak.

While all eyes of the Heavenly Dragon's Five Lineages were focused on the upcoming challenge of layer seventy-two, the main star of the event, Li Luo, did not show his face at all. He had been spending all his time immersed in cultivation.

......

Within the cultivation chamber of a modest building.

Li Luo's eyes were shut tight, and a dense ma.s.s of worldly natural energy constantly flowed around him. Four brilliant Heavenly Pearls slowly rotated behind him, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.

Another point of light had begun to coalesce beside the pearls.

It was the skeletal blueprint of the fifth Heavenly Pearl, though it obviously needed more time to truly condense into a proper Heavenly Pearl.

However, Li Luo hadn't been focusing on channeling all his energy to the fifth Heavenly Pearl, but rather to the golden seal that was derived from his Resonance Origin.

Within the waterlight resonance palace in his body was a pristine, s.h.i.+mmering lake, its water crystalline and exuding a sense of clarity.

A gilded light radiated from the center of the lake. Upon closer inspection, the source of the light was five golden seals, floating and flowing along with the water. Wherever the golden seals pa.s.sed, everything around them was dyed a golden hue, including the water. They emitted a mysterious aura.

From time to time, the golden seals condensed a golden water pearl. Roughly fifty of them were floating above the surface of the lake.

All fifty pearls contained a trace of esoteric origin energy.

Li Luo gazed at the fifty golden pearls with some elation in his heart. This would be his answer to layer seventy-two of the Fiendish Devil Cave.

Under normal circ.u.mstances, the golden seals could only be condensed by cultivators at the Heavenly Resonance Tier, but Li Luo had managed to cultivate a few in advance thanks to his Enlightenment Cores.

"All the Enlightenment Cores have been consumed, but I only managed to condense five golden seals." Li Luo sighed.

He had used up all the Enlightenment Cores he had obtained in the Spiritual Resonance Cave as the golden seals could not be condensed without them. Li Luo had to wait until he reached the Heavenly Resonance Tier if he wanted to condense more.

Li Luo withdrew from his state of cultivation with some regret.

The energy fluctuations surging within the cultivation room also subsided.

He stood up, calculated the date, and muttered to himself, "One day left."

Tomorrow was the last day that the Fiendish Devil Cave would open this month, and he would seize that final opportunity to challenge layer seventy-two.

He would be able to head to the Heavenly Origin Ancient College after completing this objective.

When Li Luo exited the cultivation room, a servant approached to report that Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi had come to visit.

He hurriedly went downstairs, where he found Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi waiting in the living room. Li Luo immediately apologized. "I'm sorry to have kept waiting for so long, Elder Brother and Second Sister."

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly paused on Li Jingtao as he realized that the resonant power emanating from the latter's body seemed to have become purer and more robust than before.

"Elder Brother, you've..." Li Luo's expression changed.

Li Fengyi interjected with envy in her voice, "This fellow's resonance has evolved and is now of the quasi ninth-grade."

Li Jingtao scratched his head and laughed nervously. "It's all thanks to the Limit Breaking Heavenly Dew that you gave me. Otherwise, I'm afraid it would've taken me a very long time to reach this point. Actually, it was quite a waste for me since I dislike conflict with others; perhaps Fengyi would've been better suited to receive it," he said, sneaking a glance at Li Fengyi.

"Tch, who cares." Li Fengyi huffed lightly.

Li Luo, on the other hand, laughed. "No worries, I'll find some better treasures for Second Sister in the future."

Li Fengyi smiled joyfully and said, "Little Brother, you are far too thoughtful."

She didn't get angry. After all, she understood that the Limit Breaking Heavenly Dew was more effective at resonance stage evolution. Although her resonance had improved in the Spiritual Resonance Cave, it was still quite far from breaking through to the next stage, so it was obviously more appropriate to give it to Li Jingtao.

Li Fengyi changed the subject and inquired with concern, "Little Brother, you're going to challenge layer seventy-two tomorrow. Have you made all the necessary preparations? You should know that the top echelons of the other four lineages will be keeping a close eye on you along with our lineage."

"I can only do my best." Li Luo chuckled.

Worried, Li Fengyi replied, "You are getting a bit ahead of yourself. There's no way you can win with your current strength. If you just wait a month, your chances will definitely increase by several percent. I asked my father before I came here, and it seems the earlier you attempt to clear the floor, the higher the difficulty. Third Uncle challenged it when it was one year and seven months in; do you know what appeared on layer seventy-two?"

Li Luo's expression changed. "Was it not a Fiendish Devil Leader?"

Li Fengyi shook her head and said, "That's the case when the Fiendish Devil Cave is more than two years old, but it is different before that. What Third Uncle met at layer seventy-two was a fourth-grade Duke Stage creature from the dragon race. It's said that it was extremely strong, and even Third Uncle had a very difficult time dealing with it."

"A fourth-grade Duke Stage creature from the dragon race." Li Luo's eyes narrowed slightly. Amongst the thousands of spirit beast races, the dragon race definitely stood at the top of the pyramid, and one as powerful as a fourth-grade Duke was bound to have terrifying battle prowess.

The old man's record was truly magnificent; it was no wonder n.o.body had been able to beat it for so many years.

Li Fengyi nodded and continued with uncertainty in her voice, "You want to challenge it one month earlier than Third Uncle, so I surmise that the obstacles that will appear on layer seventy-two will be even more tricky."

Li Luo smacked his lips. Sure enough, the old man had pushed the record to a perverse limit, and one had to become an even more deranged maniac in order to surpa.s.s him.

Li Luo would not have chosen to take on such an extreme challenge if not for the fact that he planned to leave for a while. But there was no way around it, as time was too precious for him.

"Whatever the case, I'll give it a go with all I have! There's nothing to lose if I fail anyway." Li Luo chuckled.

Li Jingtao and Li Fengyi nodded. After all, since all the lineages were intently observing, there would be much ridicule if Li Luo suddenly backed down.

“Go for it! If you succeed, I'm sure that even the Five Guardian Armies will be astonished." The two encouraged him.

Li Luo acknowledged them with a smile and chatted for a while longer before seeing them off.

Shortly after the two left, Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun arrived to impart some words of encouragement.

Li Luo received them gratefully.

He also sensed that there seemed to be something amiss between the two, so he raised his brow quizzically at Ox Biaobiao.

Li Rouyun noticed Li Luo's gaze and blushed slightly, while Ox Biaobiao explained, "Ah Yun hasn't been feeling the best lately, I'm just accompanying her."

Li Luo understood that Li Rouyun's somber mood was naturally because of Li Lingjing's departure, and having Ox Biaobiao accompany her to ease her mood was a good thing.

Ox Biaobiao and Li Rouyun didn't bother Li Luo too much after leaving their encouragement.

Li Luo saw the two of them off and then stood in front of the building, looking at the mountain bathed in moonlight. His mind was serene and at peace. Although there were some unexpected developments in the upcoming challenge, he was looking forward to it.

Li Luo grinned to himself.

"Say goodbye to your record tomorrow, old man!"