Chapter 1831: The War of the Ten Brands

Listening to Li Luo's teasing tone laced with amusement, Jiang Qinge couldn't help but gently bump her smooth, fair forehead against his chest, and in her golden eyes, endless tenderness and affection welled up.

She knew this was Li Luo telling her that even though he had now attained the Ten Brands and achieved the supreme position in this world, he was still himself.

The boy who once tirelessly exerted every effort, striving to catch up to her footsteps and stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

Jiang Qinge felt the warmth and sense of security brought by this embrace, and countless distant images flashed through her mind—scenes from her childhood when she and Li Luo would play and roughhouse, though each tussle always ended with the little boy being subdued.

Whenever this happened, the young Li Luo would stubbornly and angrily throw down harsh words: "Jiang Qinge, you wait for me—one day I'll make you willingly say, 'Big brother, I admit defeat!'"

But every time his stubborn resistance came, it was met with even stronger suppression.

So at this moment, Jiang Qinge's lips curled into a smile, her eyes gently closing as she slightly twisted her body in Li Luo's embrace, adjusting to the most comfortable angle, then softly said: "Big brother, I admit defeat."

The instant this soft voice reached his ears, Li Luo, who now stood at the pinnacle of this world, trembled all over, and an indescribable sense of ease and clarity arose from the depths of his heart, spreading to every part of his body.

How could he forget the promise made by that mischievous child in his youth?

This is the bond and affection hidden deepest in both of their hearts.

Yet he never expected that this arduous achievement would, at this moment, quietly unlock.

That sudden sense of exhilaration was no less than attaining the Ten Brands.

And so Li Luo, feeling utterly at ease, laughed out loud.

But at this moment, the Annihilating Black Palm descended amid the horrified gazes of countless Heavenly Kings.

Yet as it approached within ten thousand zhang of Li Luo's surroundings, it began to suddenly vanish—this disappearance was utterly abrupt, as if an eraser had swept across a blackboard, directly wiping it out.

All the Heavenly Kings stared wide-eyed in shock.

That was the Ten Brands Annihilating Power!

At this instant, led by Jiang Tianwang, the Heavenly Kings' hearts pounded wildly, their breathing gradually grew coarse and heavy, and their eyes locked fixedly upon the figure standing upon the celestial vault.

To resist the Ten Brands, only the Ten Brands will do!

So then... at this moment, Li Luo, after years of closed-door cultivation and insight, had finally succeeded in stepping into the Ten Brands Realm!

Our Shenzhou world finally has its own Ten Brands Realm?!

This apocalyptic calamity can truly be saved!

The Heavenly Kings' hearts trembled, their scalps tingling with excitement, and finally Jiang Tianwang led the way, raising his head to let out a long, excited cry that echoed throughout the ten realms of Shenzhou: "Congratulations, Luo Tianwang, on ascending to the Ten Brands!"

The other Heavenly Kings also awoke at this moment, excitedly offering their salutations one after another, voices of respect ringing like thunder in succession.

"Congratulations, Luo Tianwang, on ascending to the Ten Brands!"

One after another, these respectful congratulatory voices echoed through Shenzhou, letting all its living beings hear them.

Thus, all of Shenzhou suddenly boiled over at this moment, countless beings who had fallen into despair and fear due to the descent of the Dark Heavenly King now stirred with sincere hearts, kneeling toward that figure at the end of the heavenly vault.

"Congratulations, Luo Tianwang, on ascending to the Ten Brands!"

The mighty, surging sound reverberated between heaven and earth.

And amid this world-resounding chorus of congratulations, Li Luo lifted his head, gazing at the dark world approaching the Shenzhou world—under the power of the Dark Sect Master, countless alien beings were kneaded into a black torrent, within which seeds of fusion were scattered; once they fell into the Shenzhou world, they would trigger a terrifying fusion, leaving all living beings to suffer.

These black torrents contained Ten Brands power, fundamentally impossible to resist.

But as Li Luo calmly gazed ahead, countless Heavenly Kings were instantly shocked to see—as if an omnipresent great power had surged forth, instantly erasing those black torrents.

Not a trace of them could fall into the Shenzhou world.

As if an invisible barrier of nothingness had covered the Shenzhou world.

At the moment Li Luo made his move, the Dark Sect Master standing upon the celestial vault—whose face had always been indifferent—finally showed a change; she stared at his silhouette and slowly said: "You are...?"

"Ten Brands, Formless!"

"In this world, could one actually attain Ten Brands through 'Formless'?!"

As the sect master and the amalgamation of the Ten Thousand Evils, the Dark Sect Master naturally knew the secret of Formless from the Formless Holy Sect, but since the sect master had failed walking this path, the Dark Sect Master could not possibly follow it either; ultimately, she relied on the foundation of the sect master and the Ten Thousand Evils, then fused with Li Luo's aid to reascend to the peak Myriad Forms Seed, thereby attaining the Annihilation Form and proving the Ten Brands!

From the outcome, the Dark Sect Master had clearly succeeded—she had walked this path half a step further than the sect master!

But at this very moment, seeing Li Luo actually prove the "Ten Brands Formless" that even the sect master had failed to achieve, even with her current cultivation, the Dark Sect Master couldn't help but feel a sense of incredibility.

"So it turns out you are her greatest hidden trump card she kept tucked away—this step, she foresaw even further than I did."

The Dark Sect Master's eyes were dark and deep like the sea; upon seeing Li Luo prove the Ten Brands Formless, she already knew everything, and naturally knew that the sect master had used Jiang Qinge as a medium, over the long ages, to conceal Li Luo's innate threefold affinity, preventing her from devouring him with the Myriad Forms Seed and turning him into nourishment for her own advancement.

This crucial step had become her greatest obstacle.

"Truly formidable—clearly she was already unable to turn the tide at the last moment, yet I never imagined she could hide such a deep, such a far-reaching move."

The Dark Sect Master felt a hint of emotion; although the sect master herself had failed to prove the Ten Brands, she had, through her own schemes, driven the birth of a Ten Brands entity.

Truly worthy of being her original self.

Li Luo now set down Jiang Qinge, but still held her delicate hand with one hand, and calmly said to the Dark Sect Master: "I promised her I would correct all the errors born from her, without exception."

The Dark Sect Master shook her head, yet smiled with interest, saying: "Also good—I was worried that after proving the Ten Brands, this world would be like ants, utterly dull; now it's perfect—I can test what the Formless Holy Sect has sought for countless years in 'Formless,' and see just how extraordinary it truly is."

She extended her slender, fair palm; within her palm, destructive power flowed.

Black light flashed, and a world filled with annihilation, devoid of all life, was born in the Dark Sect Master's palm—within it existed countless spaces, but each space contained only lifeless things.

This is, the Palm Realm.

One palm, one world.

What immense power is this?

Gazing at the Palm Realm pressing down upon the Shenzhou world, countless Heavenly Kings turned pale—such power, how could it be resisted? If not for Li Luo having already proved the Ten Brands at this moment, the Heavenly Kings would likely have chosen self-destruction in despair.

Li Luo's pupils reflected the Palm Realm spreading with endless annihilation intent—this attack possessed true destructive power; if it fell into Shenzhou, it would likely be enough to utterly erase an entire Shenzhou from the world.

In the Ten Brands War, a single lapse could overturn the Shenzhou world.

But Li Luo's expression remained perpetually calm.

Behind his head, a colorless, formless point of light appeared, and in an instant, it shot upward, expanding infinitely, transforming into a vast luminous ring.

The luminous ring imprinted in people's eyes was five-colored and radiant, within which countless affinities could be seen shifting and changing.

It was both Formless and Myriad Forms.

This is the Formless Wheel.

The Formless Wheel rose slowly, meeting the palm seal that covered the Outer Shenzhou world; in the next instant they collided, and the tenth-grade Annihilation Power surged forth in mighty torrents, attempting to obliterate the Formless Wheel.

But the Formless Wheel turned slowly, with countless phases flowing and transforming within it, actually resisting and dissolving all of that tenth-grade Annihilation Power.

The Dark Sect Master showed no expression, his slender fingertips stirring the void, as surging, vast tenth-grade Annihilation Power eroded through countless spaces of the Outer Shenzhou world, then used this as a passage to invade Outer Shenzhou and erase all vitality.

But Li Luo smiled, having prepared long ago; with a thought, he saw that in the myriad layers of space, a Formless Wheel rose slowly in each, protecting Outer Shenzhou like an impregnable fortress while also resisting all of that tenth-grade Annihilation Power.

Formless, as it is, reaches wherever the mind goes, omnipresent and all-encompassing.

In this brief moment, even several Heavenly Kings could not perceive it, yet Li Luo and the Dark Sect Master had already clashed millions of times.

Although Jiang Tianwang and the others could not perceive the countless battles occurring in the spaces connected to the Outer Shenzhou world, they faintly sensed an unsettling calamity quietly being dispelled.

This made them involuntarily gaze in awe at the young figure at the end of the heavens, understanding that Li Luo was striving to protect the Outer Shenzhou world.

Li Luo raised his head, calmly gazing at the Dark Sect Master who was actuating the world-destroying torrent; he knew this tenth-grade confrontation would not end easily, and their duel would continue incessantly in countless corners.

However, under his tenth-grade Formless transformations, unpredictable and wondrous, the Dark Sect Master's plan to merge the two worlds had become nearly impossible to achieve.

And the Dark Sect Master's deep, icy gaze fixed upon Li Luo, saying: "Li Luo, although you have also attained the tenth grade and can block me outside the Outer Shenzhou world, what of it? Chaos still exists, only its source has shifted from the Dark World to me."

"Although I cannot enter the Outer Shenzhou world, I can yet preside over this Dark World, turning it into my Dao field, and continue endless slaughter with your Outer Shenzhou world."

She swept her sleeve, and behold, the Annihilation Power became an endless black giant serpent, coiling beneath her to form a serpent throne; the Dark Sect Master sat upon it like a demon god, gazing indifferently down upon the Outer Shenzhou world.

Li Luo stared at the Dark Sect Master's familiar, pure visage—originally belonging to Li Lingjing—but now it was covered with endless ice and indifference.

He knew the Dark Sect Master spoke truly; now both were tenth-grade, on the same level, and wanting to decide victory was not easy.

But if victory could not be decided and the Dark Sect Master not slain, then the world's chaos would remain unresolved.

This was not the result Li Luo desired, nor was it what the Sect Master had plotted for so long to achieve.

Yet how could truly slaying a tenth-grade being be so simple?

Unless... his cultivation must surpass the opponent's by yet another level.

Li Luo swept his sleeve, and beneath him appeared twelve golden lotuses, with myriad phases evolving and shifting in rank, surrounding him as a torrent of ranks rising and falling, like the stars of the celestial sphere.

In the next instant, a mighty sound like a great bell and lute rang forth, echoing through the Outer Shenzhou world.

"In the world, the king is honored, yet the king is not the end of the road."

"At the end, there should still be a prior realm."

"Today, for the beings of this realm, I open a new path."

"This realm is one level above the king."

"Therefore it may be called..."

"Lord."