Chapter 1410: One Against Four

Two ten-pillar golden platforms hovered above Li Luo's head like blazing suns, the vast, surging phase force rippling outward like tides, bringing with them wave after wave of astonishing energy pressure.

Countless gazes paled at the sight.

That was... two ten-pillar golden platforms!

After half a year in closed-door cultivation, Li Luo had actually re-forged the ten-pillar golden platform he had once severed!

In other words, the current Li Luo had returned to Unparalleled Second Grade!

No wonder he dared to speak such nearly arrogant, grand words as "The Five Treasures Return to My Body."

Unparalleled leaping to Third Grade meant that Li Luo's true combat power had now reached the level of Fifth Grade Marquis Realm, no weaker than the other four Guard Commanders.

"Guard Commander Li Luo is mighty!"

"Guard Commander Li Luo is invincible!"

Over at the Dragon Fang Guard, the crowd's emotions exploded at this moment. Their faces flushed red, every one of them thrilled to the extreme, their shouts piercing the clouds.

Li Fuluo also stared somewhat dazed at the two Marquis Platforms above Li Luo's head, symbols of perfection and completion, then could not help revealing a measure of envy and admiration: "What astonishing talent, what terrifying potential."

Li Fuluo had been climbing in the Marquis Realm for many years and knew best just how difficult it was to forge a Marquis Platform. For an ordinary person, forging a seven-pillar or eight-pillar platform was already considered excellent; forging a nine-pillar platform was enough to lead among peers and dominate one's generation.

His own five Marquis Platforms, the highest grade among them, was merely a single eight-pillar Marquis Platform.

Precisely because he understood the difficulty involved, when he saw that Li Luo had, after only half a year of closed-door cultivation, reforged that self-severed second ten-pillar golden platform, his heart was shaken and awed to such a degree.

Beside him, Luo Jiang also nodded, laughing somewhat excitedly: "Old Guard Commander, it seems today our Dragon Fang Guard might truly achieve an unprecedented feat."

The Dragon Fang Guard's atmosphere boiled with excitement, while the members of the other four guards wore slightly complicated expressions. Li Luo's displayed strength was enough to earn their awe, but this also meant greater pressure on each of their own Guard Commanders.

Amid the uproar outside the arena, the four Guard Commanders on the battle stage—Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue, and the others—also had their expressions turn solemn at this moment. The wariness in their gazes toward Li Luo had grown intense to the extreme.

"I never expected Guard Commander Li Luo to return to his peak in just half a year. Truly worthy of congratulations." Li Tingyue sighed softly and said.

Li Jushen and Li Boyuan also cupped their fists in salute, a gesture of respect toward a Marquis strong practitioner who had climbed the Unparalleled path, for this path was the most perfect pinnacle of the Marquis Realm.

What they respected was the yearning in the hearts of all Marquis strong practitioners.

Li Zhihuo drew a deep breath. This Li Luo had come prepared; no wonder he dared to speak such words as "The Five Treasures Return to My Body."

Yet deep within, Li Zhihuo actually felt a measure of relief. Thank goodness Li Luo had chosen to fight four alone, attempting to reach the highest achievement of the Five Dragon Guards. Otherwise, facing him alone—even now wielding the "Heavenly Dragon Dark-Yellow Spear" and clad in the "Heavenly Dragon Hundred Battles Armor," two Top-Tier Within Marquis Treasures—the pressure would truly be considerable.

There was no helping it; the scene of Li Luo slaying Qin Qin Lian in the Boundary River Treasure Domain back then had left him with a vast psychological shadow.

"Guard Commander Li Luo, even if you've returned to Unparalleled Second Grade, if you think we'll hand over our 'Guard Treasures,' that is absolutely impossible." Li Zhihuo slowly tightened his grip on the "Heavenly Dragon Dark-Yellow Spear" and said in a low voice.

Guard Commanders Li Tingyue, Li Jushen, and Li Boyuan also nodded. Their expressions were stern, and the treasures in their hands radiated vast, surging phase force fluctuations.

As Guard Commanders, they bore the responsibility of defending their own guard's honor.

No matter how strong Li Luo was, he could not make them hand over the treasures in their hands so easily.

Moreover, although Li Luo was Unparalleled Second Grade, fortunately he did not possess any of the "Five Heavenly Dragon Treasures" in his hands. That was their greatest reliance, after all—the Five Heavenly Dragon Treasures were all Top-Tier Within Marquis Treasures, and treasures of this grade were not necessarily owned even by some Top-Tier Within Marquis strong practitioners.

Borrowing the power of these "Guard Treasures," Li Tingyue and the others, who were Lower Fifth Grade Marquis practitioners, could fully contend head-on with top-tier Upper Fifth Grade Marquis experts. And Li Zhihuo was even fiercer: with his Upper Fifth Grade Marquis strength, he wielded two "Guard Treasures"—one for offense, one for defense—making him virtually flawless. If they truly clashed, even Sixth Grade Marquis experts would likely need to temporarily avoid his sharp edge.

Therefore, if Li Luo wanted to use them to forge the Dragon Fang Guard's unprecedented glory, this Unparalleled Second Grade might not be enough!

Li Luo gazed at the blazing battle intent surging in the eyes of the four and smiled slightly. The two ten-pillar golden platforms above his head radiated brilliant light, and a terrifying suction force swept out, beginning to devour the world's energy.

Seeing this, Li Zhihuo and the others immediately activated their own Marquis Platforms to vie for the world's energy.

But in the end, they discovered with some shock that, although their Marquis Platforms far outnumbered Li Luo's, in this contest for the world's energy, they were actually at a disadvantage.

Their twenty Marquis Platforms combined still could not outcompete Li Luo's two Marquis Platforms.

Ten-pillar golden platforms weren't supposed to be this domineering, were they?

Li Luo was not surprised by this, because it was not the effect of the ten-pillar golden platforms, but rather the reason his Myriad Phase Seed had awakened. After this awakening of the Myriad Phase Seed, he could faintly feel an extreme affinity between himself and the vast, mottled energies of the world. If before, when absorbing the world's energy, he still needed to draw from it the energies matching his own phase nature, now he could throw them all into one pot.

Any attribute of energy entering his body would be assimilated by the Myriad Phase Wheel.

Li Luo took a single step forward, and suddenly a bright sword-cry rang out across the world. Vast sword-light was seen shooting out from the crown of his head, then rapidly interweaving in midair, faintly seeming to construct an ancient and mysterious sword formation.

The sword formation had not yet taken shape, yet it already revealed an extremely terrifying aura.

This caused countless Marquis strong practitioners present to change color, and even some Top-Tier Within Marquis strong practitioners were slightly moved.

What level of Marquis Art was this?!

Outsiders did not know the details, but Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue, and the others, upon seeing this mysterious sword formation, drastically changed expression, their scalps tingling.

"Myriad Phase Dragon Fang Sword Formation!"

"Stop him! Don't let him set up the sword formation!"

Li Zhihuo roared sharply. They had witnessed the terrifying power of this sword formation of Li Luo's. If they truly allowed him to successfully deploy it and unleash that destructive sword-light, they really would be in some danger.

This Li Luo was truly ruthless, opening with his ultimate move right away!

He was aiming for a swift decisive victory!

And without needing his reminder, Li Tingyue and the other three had already, without the slightest hesitation, poured all their phase force into the Top-Tier Within Marquis Treasures in their hands. Immediately, astonishing fluctuations erupted, drawing the sidelong glances of countless people.

The "Heavenly Dragon Ten Thousand Scales Mirror" in Li Tingyue's hand flowed with dazzling dark-yellow light. Countless dragon scales upon it flickered, and intense light condensed to a single point, finally transforming into a thousand-zhang dark-yellow light that pierced through the air.

"Ten Thousand Scales Dark-Gang!"

The dark-yellow light was like a giant dragon, piercing through heaven and earth.

Li Jushen let out a roar, and his already burly frame swelled higher and higher at this moment. The "Heavenly Dragon Golden Bone Hammer" in his hand also swelled in the wind, until finally he stood in midair like a hammer-wielding giant, swinging it down viciously.

"Sky-Splitting Divine Hammer!"

Boom!

Vast stretches of void collapsed and shattered at this moment. Destructive force, carrying fragments of space, surged forth like a destructive flood, slamming toward the not-yet-formed sword formation.

Li Boyuan drove that ancient golden horn, and from within the horn erupted the sound of an ancient dragon's roar. The dragon's roar transformed into golden sound waves that rolled forth.

"Heavenly Dragon's Roar!"

Those sound waves contained a soul-shaking force, causing many Marquis strong practitioners present to wear solemn and wary expressions.

The three drove their attacks with full power, daring not to hold back in the slightest.

And Li Zhihuo likewise stepped into the air. The "Heavenly Dragon Dark-Yellow Spear" in his hand, flowing with boundless sharp aura, swept down in a slash. The heavens seemed to be split in two by that sharp aura, and dark-yellow spear-light pierced down. The piercing fluctuations flowing upon it caused some Sixth Grade Marquis strong practitioners present to subtly change their gaze.

Boom!

The four men's attacks pierced through the heavens like lightning, rumbling mightily toward the sword formation that had yet to take shape.

And above the sword formation, a torrent of sword Qi howled forth to meet them.

Boom, boom!

But the sword formation had not yet formed, so the sword Qi, meeting the four men's full-force attacks, could only hold for a moment before collapsing with a roar, and the four attacks came pouring down, directly shredding the not-yet-formed sword formation to pieces.

Violent sword Qi erupted outward, carving countless deep fissures into the massive battle platform.

With the sword formation broken, Li Zhihuo and the other three were overjoyed.

Their gazes turned toward Li Luo, and they froze—for they saw not the slightest hint of discouragement on his face; on the contrary, the corner of Li Luo's mouth curled into a dazzling smile.

But before they could react, at that very moment they saw an incomparably intense purple-gold radiance suddenly erupt from within Li Luo's body; the light was so blinding that even Li Zhihuo and the others felt their eyes sting.

At the same time they faintly sensed what seemed to be a pressure that made them tremble in the depths of their very bloodline, spreading out to blanket the heavens and earth.

"Something's wrong!"

"The sword formation was a decoy!"

Li Zhihuo's pupils contracted sharply. In that instant, he suddenly recalled the Top-Tier Within-grade marquis-class art that Li Luo had taken from the Dragon-Treasure Vault half a year ago.

And so, a voice of horror rang out abruptly.

"Stop him quickly! He's about to cast..."

"Dragon Blood Origin-Returning Art!"

Hearing this, shock flooded the eyes of Li Tingyue and the other two. The "Dragon Blood Origin-Returning Art" was a Top-Tier Within-grade marquis-class art; even among the Dragon bloodline, very few had ever managed to cultivate such an art to completion. Li Luo had only obtained it half a year ago—could he really have mastered it already?

Boom!

Yet even amid their horror, their hands did not slow in the slightest. The marquis platforms above the four men's heads roared madly, energy pouring out in full, and in the next instant, even fiercer attacks swept forth from the Top-Tier Within-grade marquis-class treasures in their hands.

Like four destructive torrents, they tore toward the resplendent purple-gold radiance.

And facing the four men's full-force attacks, a massive purple-gold dragon claw reached out from within the purple-gold radiance. Mysterious patterns covered the claw, and it carried with it an ancient, pure dragon might, slamming head-on into the four men's attacks.

Rumble!

The void shattered at this moment, and terrifying shockwaves of energy ran rampant, ravaging the battle platform until it was a scarred ruin.

And the fierce attacks unleashed by the four men through their Top-Tier Within-grade marquis-class treasures were, at this moment, fully blocked by that purple-gold dragon claw.

Hiss!

Countless people drew in sharp breaths of cold air.

Li Zhihuo, Li Tingyue, and the other two hovered in midair, their pupils trembling as if in an earthquake, staring at where the purple-gold radiance faded—because as the light dispersed, they saw a colossal creature some hundreds of zhang long, bearing a terrifying pressure from the deepest depths of its bloodline, appear before their very eyes.

At this moment, all the powerful experts of the Li Li Tianwang line rose to their feet in horror.

As his voice fell,

"He—he's cultivated the 'Dragon Blood Origin-Returning Art' to completion!"

Fragments of space rained down.

A hundred-zhang Celestial Dragon!