Chapter 1505: Rise

The instant Li Luo drew the bowstring, the "Sacred Phase Crystal Core" between his brows erupted with dazzling radiance, and faintly, as if from within it came the strange sound of liquid flowing.

The next moment, light energy—pure and intensely concentrated to the extreme, almost like holy water—poured out from the "Sacred Phase Crystal Core" between his brows and gathered upon the bowstring.

And this was not yet over.

Above this radiant star, light blazed mightily, as if vast and majestic light energy had formed a hanging-cloud waterfall, pouring down from the heavens in an unbroken stream.

Under the affinity of the Upper Ninth Grade Light Phase, the dense light energy between heaven and earth here was easily drawn forth by Li Luo.

The immensely grand light energy gathered entirely upon the bowstring, then condensed into a crystalline, translucent light arrow—more magnificent than any before. Upon its shaft were inscribed sacred, ancient runes, as if representing the most perfect light.

Embedded within it were also crystals, each condensed with the most extreme light energy.

Li Luo could feel the Sky Dragon Sun-Chasing Bow in his hand trembling slightly—this was the first time, since being upgraded to a Superior Marquis Treasure, that this bow had borne such tremendous energy.

Li Luo's handsome face was extraordinarily calm, a sacred luster flowing across it. The "Sacred Phase Crystal Core" between his brows resembled a deity's vertical eye, exuding an unfathomable divine charm that inspired awe.

After using the Myriad Phases Wheel to transform the many phases within his body into the Light Phase, Li Luo could no longer employ the Marquis Arts he excelled at, but the favorable terrain here was enough to fully compensate for this shortcoming.

Just as before, when he had borrowed the thunder energy atop Thunder Point Peak to repel Zhou Jun.

And the light energy here now was several times stronger than the thunder energy atop Thunder Point Peak.

Therefore, the might of this arrow would be terrifying beyond imagination.

A smile surfaced at the corner of Li Luo's lips. He poured out all his strength, drawing the bowstring to the full, the arrow's tip locking onto the crimson-red giant shadow that Song Jing had transformed into.

And as this arrow's edge pointed toward him, Song Jing's face grew extremely ugly.

An intense sense of crisis surged up from within his heart.

Song Jing knew that Li Luo was borrowing his own Upper Ninth Grade Light Phase to draw forth the vast light energy gathered above this radiant star—such a method was simply inconceivable.

After all, even if it were Jiang Jiang Qinge or Fifth Mingxuan in his place, they would likely struggle to achieve this degree.

But no matter how unbelievable, Song Jing now had to face the reality before his eyes.

Song Jing let out a sharp howl and, holding nothing back, drove all his strength. The crimson-red giant shadow rapidly formed hand seals, and vast crimson-gold flames surged forth, ultimately condensing ahead into a giant bell like a small mountain.

The giant bell was entirely crimson-gold in color, inscribed with the pattern of a Golden Crow spreading its wings, while a golden great sun, borne upon its back, rose slowly.

Nine-Round Golden Crow Dharma Body!

Golden Crow Sun-Bearing Bell!

This was the most powerful defensive method Song Jing possessed. With this bell, he was confident that few of the same rank could break through it.

And now, he could only hope that this bell could withstand Li Luo's terrifying arrow.

Hum!

The moment Song Jing condensed the crimson-gold giant bell, Li Luo's finger in the distance had already released the bowstring—in that instant, the light between heaven and earth suddenly blazed to its utmost.

A thread of light pierced the long sky at an unimaginable speed.

And on the earth below, silently, an abyss thousands of zhang long appeared; on both sides of the abyss, the walls were smooth as mirrors, with no protruding rubble at all.

And the very instant the light appeared, before Song Jing could even feel it in detail, he heard a bell-chime that shook heaven and earth suddenly ring out.

That arrow had already crashed upon them.

Boom!

The crimson-gold giant bell trembled madly, and one urgent, violent bell-chime after another spread ceaselessly between heaven and earth; the sound waves utterly destroyed the nearby mountain ranges, leveling them to the ground.

Song Jing madly drove his phase power, pouring it into the crimson-gold giant bell, causing his face to become flushed and twisted, no longer possessing his former composure.

Yet, all of this was in vain.

The arrow Li Luo now drove forth had borrowed the surging light energy of this radiant star; in terms of might, it was even more terrifying than his "Many Phases Dragon Fang Sword Formation."

Crack!

As the giant bell continued to tremble, suddenly, within that resonant bell-chime, a faint sound of cracking emerged.

This faint sound was inconspicuous beneath the bell-chime, but when it reached Song Jing's ears, it was like a thunderbolt exploding in his mind, instantly making his scalp tingle.

He saw, with his pupils sharply contracting, that on the body of the crimson-gold giant bell, fine cracks were rapidly spreading.

"It's over."

A thick sense of helplessness welled up within Song Jing's heart.

Boom!

And the very instant this thought flashed through his mind, he saw vast, majestic light suddenly seep in through those cracks, and a thunderous roar exploded.

That flame-wreathed crimson-gold giant bell directly shattered apart.

Boom!

The majestic light pierced through, not only shattering the giant bell but also striking the crimson-red giant shadow behind it.

Rumble!

The void collapsed, the crimson-red giant shadow instantly melted away, and the figure within was blasted flying for tens of thousands of zhang, finally crashing heavily before that Sacred Mountain.

On the earth, an abyss tens of thousands of zhang long appeared.

At the end of the abyss, on the wall of the Sacred Mountain, a human figure was deeply embedded, its aura withered, wretched to the extreme.

Puh—

Song Jing's hair had even been melted away by the light phase power. He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his gaze bitter as he looked toward the young figure standing with bow in hand in the distance.

This outcome—he truly had not expected it.

A dignified Upper Eighth Grade Marquis-tier strong one, defeated by Li Luo, a mere Unparalleled Third Rank. In the future trials of the Heavenly Mirror Pagoda, this feat of Li Luo's would surely be recounted for a long time, while he, Song Jing, would pathetically become the backdrop.

Song Jing's eyes dimmed, gradually closing, letting the darkness surge in, while he himself sank into a heavy-wound slumber.

Seeing this, Li Luo also quietly let out a sigh of relief. Between his brows, the "Sacred Phase Crystal Core," like a deity's eye, began at this moment to gradually fade, finally degenerating into streaks of light-pattern that vanished completely.

Within Li Luo's body, the Upper Ninth Grade Light Phase vanished, degenerating back into the Six Phases.

"What a formidable Upper Ninth Grade—even with my current Six Phases configuration, it can only be maintained for such a brief time..."

Li Luo inwardly marveled. If he had not first used the "Little Dragon Sacred Seed" to elevate the Sky Dragon Phase to Middle Ninth Grade, he feared that even the Six Phases transformation would have been unable to reach the Upper Ninth Grade level.

This was enough to show just how elite the Upper Nine-Pale rank truly was.

No wonder, until now, aside from those king-level powerhouses and his old mother, Li Luo had never seen any marquis-level powerhouse possess an Upper Nine-Pale phase...

Jiang Jiang Qinge's three Mid Nine-Pale Light phases, if they could be fused together, might reach "Upper Nine-Pale," but unfortunately she didn't have the "Myriad Phase Wheel," so naturally she couldn't fuse and transform her phases like he could.

These thoughts flashed through his mind, but Li Luo's figure did not pause — he shot straight up into the sky, landing toward that towering Sacred Mountain. Now that he had dealt with Song Jing, he had to go help Jiang Jiang Qinge seize the Light Unparalleled Art.

And at the same time, inside the Sacred Hall.

On the Light Stairway, Diwu Mingxuan piously made his pilgrimage, kowtowing with every step, and finally gradually reached the end, arriving before that twelve-winged statue.

From all that kowtowing along the way, his heart seemed to have been cleansed, becoming ever more pure and translucent.

From the corner of his eye, Diwu Mingxuan looked back — at the starting point of the Light Stairway, Jiang Jiang Qinge's graceful figure still stood quietly there, motionless.

A trace of a smile rose in Diwu Mingxuan's eyes.

Jiang Jiang Qinge, she had truly given up.

Since that was so, then this Light Unparalleled Art would be inherited by him.

Diwu Mingxuan once more bowed and kowtowed toward the statue before him, his face reverent, while at the same time his Light Heart bloomed with radiance, seeking to obtain the recognition of this Light Unparalleled Art.

But just at this moment, he suddenly sensed that the sacred statue before him seemed to emit some strange movement.

Diwu Mingxuan raised his head in slight astonishment, for he saw the sacred statue at this moment emanate rings of holy light, and at the place on its originally featureless face, something began to slowly writhe.

Immediately after, eyes, a nose, brows appeared one by one.

Those features gradually formed a complete face.

That face was breathtakingly beautiful, and at the same time carried a god-like indifference, looking down at him.

Diwu Mingxuan's pupils contracted sharply.

That face was unmistakably Jiang Jiang Qinge's!

He whipped his head around, looking toward the starting point of the Light Stairway, only to find that the Jiang Jiang Qinge who had been there had, at some unknown moment, vanished without a trace.

How could this be?

Diwu Mingxuan's heart was horrified and bewildered, but it was precisely at this moment that he saw the twelve-winged sacred statue before him open its mouth, and at the same time a faint voice rang out, ethereal and clear.

"Stop kneeling. Get up."