Chapter 1223: ,231: The Five Guards Gather on the Golden Platform

Dragon Fang's garrison, the giant stone plaza.

Ten thousand figures stood in neat formation, streams of vigorous phase force rising and intertwining above the plaza. Though they were not currently in formation, their prolonged training had made these phase forces extremely harmonious with one another; even without anyone controlling them, they were already showing signs of initial fusion, as if transforming into a faint energy mist overhead.

And within that energy mist, an extremely sharp fluctuation emanated, as if a Heavenly Dragon's fang had sliced through the void, tearing apart all things.

On the plaza's steps, Li Foluo stood with his hands clasped behind his back. He wore the Dragon Fang battle armor, and his burly frame radiated an oppressive aura.

In the position below him were the two Dragon Fang Envoys, Luo Jiang and Jiang Jiang Qinge.

Below them were the four commanders and several Dragon Pavilion members currently without positions, among them Li Changfeng and Li Jian, whose positions had been taken by Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo.

On today's plaza, the Dragon Fang Guard was at full strength of ten thousand, all gathered.

Dragon Fang banners snapped in the wind, releasing an aura of slaughter and sharpness.

Li Luo gazed at the sharpness of this "Dragon Fang Guard" before him and could not help secretly marveling. By his estimate, under the control of Guard Commander Li Foluo, the power of this "Dragon Fang Guard" once in formation could probably contend against an eighth-grade Marquis-tier expert.

It seemed that gathering the five Guards to form the Heavenly Dragon Grand Formation truly possessed the power to match a King-tier expert.

Truly worthy of being the elite army that could campaign in all directions for Li Li Tianwang's lineage.

And the fact that the entire Dragon Fang Guard had gathered showed just how much importance they placed on this so-called "Boundary River Falling Star Platform."

"Since everyone is here, let's set out."

Li Foluo's gaze swept across the area, his vigorous voice echoing throughout the plaza. Then he gripped the "Guard Commander Token" and gave it a wave. Immediately, the energy mist spreading across the sky surged downward, as if transforming into a layer of clouds, directly carrying all the Dragon Fang Guard members present aloft.

As if riding the clouds and misting through the air.

Then Li Foluo, Jiang Jiang Qinge, Li Luo, and the others swept up into the sky, standing atop the clouds. Immediately, this cloud layer formed from energy carried everyone as it soared toward the sky above Heavenly Dragon City.

The wind howled, and the grand, massive city beneath their feet rapidly shrank.

Above Heavenly Dragon City, upon reaching a certain altitude, they saw golden light scales forming a light barrier that spread outward, covering the vast Heavenly Dragon Ridge.

When the Dragon Fang Guard touched that golden light scale, Li Luo immediately sensed a majestic, vast fluctuation sweep past. Clearly, that was the scan from the "Golden Scale Cloud Dragon Formation."

As the vast fluctuation swept past, Li Luo suddenly felt the scene before his eyes change. Golden light filled his vision, and an incomparably massive golden high platform appeared in his sight.

The high platform seemed paved with golden scales, radiant and resplendent.

The Dragon Fang Guard descended slowly, and only then did Li Luo discover that this golden high platform was already packed with people. The dark masses of the crowd were clearly divided, and the sound of clamor drifted outward.

"Those are the members of the other four Guards."

Li Luo's gaze swept across, and he saw the banners standing tall among those massive formations, bearing the emblems of the other four Guards.

And when the Dragon Fang Guard, led by Li Foluo, descended onto the golden platform, it immediately attracted many gazes cast their way.

However, those gazes did not look at Li Foluo, but searched further back. Only when they saw Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo did they begin to whisper among themselves.

During these past two days, that heavily-wagered bet had already spread throughout the five Guards.

"Li Foluo, I heard your Dragon Fang Guard got a peerless prodigy who forged a 'Ten-Pillar Golden Platform'? Your dogshit luck is a bit too good, isn't it?" Just as Li Foluo led the Dragon Fang Guard to this cloud-top golden platform, a resonant voice rang out with a humming sound.

Li Luo's gaze turned, and he saw that the speaker was a broad-shouldered, thick-necked man. His frame was especially burly, and deep within his flesh and blood, golden light faintly flowed, as if a true dragon were hidden among the bones throughout his body. His flesh and blood occasionally trembled, emitting the sounds of dragon roars and tiger howls.

"That is the Guard Commander of the Dragon Bone Guard, Li Jushen. He bears the Crocodile Dragon aspect and the Earth aspect." Beside Li Luo, Commander Xia Yu whispered to Li Luo.

Li Luo nodded. Among the five Heavenly Dragon lineages, the Dragon Bone lineage emphasized physical body tempering the most, so from the oppressive aura emanating from this man's flesh, one could guess his origins.

"This must be that Jiang Jiang Qinge who forged the Ten-Pillar Golden Platform? How about joining my Dragon Scale Guard? I'll even give you my position as Guard Commander." Another light, feminine laugh rang out. It was a beautiful woman in a pure white dress. Her temperament gave a pure and charming feeling, and her long hair cascaded down her slender waist like a waterfall, giving a very refreshing impression.

Her beautiful eyes looked at Jiang Jiang Qinge curiously, and as her gaze shifted, her red lips clicked in praise: "What an absolutely peerless beauty."

"She is the Guard Commander of the Dragon Scale Guard, Li Tingyue. She bears the Jade Dragon aspect and the Illusion aspect." Xia Yu spoke again, and at the same time she proactively pointed toward the Dragon Horn Guard's position not far away. At the very front, there was a man in green clothing with long hair, standing with his hands behind his back. At his waist hung a green gourd engraved with a golden toad.

"That is the Guard Commander of the Dragon Horn Guard, Li Boyuan. He bears the Horned Dragon aspect and the Poison aspect."

"Among the five Heavenly Dragon Guards, actually, aside from the Dragon Blood Guard and the Dragon Horn Guard, our Dragon Fang Guard has decent relations with the Dragon Scale Guard and the Dragon Bone Guard. Moreover, the five Heavenly Dragon Guards are not ranked above or below one another, and generally there won't be obvious situations of submission or allegiance to any one Guard."

"This point is different from when you were in the Twenty Banners before, after all, the five Heavenly Dragon Guards carry extraordinary significance."

Li Luo nodded secretly. He clearly remembered that back when he was in the Twenty Banners, the Dragon Horn lineage and Dragon Bone lineage banners had all been subdued by Li Li Qingfeng, but this kind of situation clearly wouldn't appear in the five Heavenly Dragon Guards.

Although Li Zhihuo still held a dominant position, he clearly hadn't reached the point where the other Guard Commanders were sincerely convinced.

Li Foluo merely glanced at the two of them, too lazy to bother with them. His gaze simply swept toward the distant Dragon Blood Guard, where Li Zhihuo stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the heavens, not looking over.

However, within the Dragon Blood Guard, many gazes filled with unreadable expressions were cast out, circling around Jiang Jiang Qinge and Li Luo. These gazes were mostly unfriendly; after all, due to the propaganda spread by Li Zhihuo and Li Hongque, they only felt that Li Luo bringing Li Hongyou into the Dragon Fang Guard was a violation of the rules.

However, Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge were both unmoved by these gazes. Their stances were different, and more words were useless. Everything would be settled by true skill when the time came.

Boom boom!

And just as the five Guards gathered on the golden platform, suddenly, the heavens above rumbled. Immediately after, Li Luo and the others looked up and saw the golden light spreading above gradually fading at this moment.

And as the golden light faded, Li Luo's pupils suddenly contracted.

Because he saw a mysterious river filling his vision, rendered in gray-black, cutting through from the end of the heavens with an indescribably vast momentum. The mighty rumbling sound traveled down from an extremely distant distance, causing people's hearts to tremble.

That was the Boundary River.

However, the Boundary River seen before their eyes now was clearly more mysterious and grand than what they had seen from the ground before. The fluctuations emanating from it caused even Marquis-tier experts to feel fear.

Although Li Luo and the others were under the protection of the "Golden Scale Cloud Dragon Formation," before such a vast wonder of heaven and earth, they were still like ants on a riverbank looking up at the surging Dahe.

After a good while, Li Luo finally recovered from that shock, and then he discovered that above the golden platform, there were also five incomparably massive golden lotus platforms. The lotus platforms floated in the void, and judging by their scale, they could accommodate ten thousand people.

"Those are the Falling Star Platforms."

Beside him, Xia Yu continued to explain, smiling: "Each Boundary River Falling Star Platform training session is divided into two parts: one is 'Star Picking,' and the other is 'Star Transformation.'"

She pointed at the vast Boundary River above the grand formation and said: "When the time comes, the 'Golden Scale Cloud Dragon Formation' will draw down a portion of the Boundary River's water. The Boundary River's water weighs a thousand catties, and when it gathers together and falls from the sky, it's almost like a meteor crashing down, its might terrifying."

"This kind of Boundary River meteor—if an ordinary Marquis-tier expert tried to take it head-on, their physical body would probably be smashed apart. So we must form the 'Dragon Fang Formation,' relying on our collective strength to intercept it. This step is called 'Star Picking.'"

"Each of the five Guards relies on its own ability. The more 'Boundary River meteors' they pick, the more benefits they naturally gain in the end."

"After Star Picking comes Star Transformation, which means purification. Because the Boundary River connects to the Dark World, and the energy of malicious intent flows into it, it naturally pollutes the Boundary River's energy. Although the 'Golden Scale Cloud Dragon Formation' blocks the vast majority of the malicious intent, some residue still remains. So we must completely purify the malicious intent hidden within before we can condense out the final thing we need."

"That is, the Star Beads."

Li Luo was stunned: "Star Beads?"

Xia Yu smiled and said: "Actually, to put it simply, it's a highly condensed form of the Boundary River's water, filled with mysterious, pure heaven and earth energy, very suitable for our cultivation."

"If you experience it once, I think you'll fall in love with it."

Li Luo also revealed a faint smile, raising his head to gaze up at the vast Boundary River flowing slowly across the heavens. Whether his own strength could advance this time might well depend on the effects of the so-called "Star Pearls."

Hopefully, it wouldn't disappoint him. "Tonight at six I'll be live-streaming on Douyin. No writing tonight—mainly just chatting about the Wanxiang animation, playing some games, having a bit of fun for a while. Everyone's welcome to come hang out."