Chapter 1597: Those Friends of Mine
"Congratulations Li Luo, your Heavenly Dragon resonance has reached the upper ninth-grade."
When the Apex Resonance Crystal Core which exuded boundless amounts of draconic might was withdrawn, reverting back to the violet gold vertical mark, Li Qingying was the first to offer her congratulations.
The descendents of those from the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li had expressions filled with respect and adoration. Only Li Luo had obtained the upper ninth-grade Heavenly Dragon resonance in the last hundred years. Just an upper ninth-grade ordinary dragon type resonance was rarely seen, much less the Heavenly Dragon resonance. "I've only relied upon the Dragon Sacred Seed." Li Luo humbly replied. His words weren't wrong. This was only possible with the power of the Dragon Sacred Seed and when the Sacred Seed was removed in future, his Heavenly Dragon resonance would revert back to its original grade. This was just like what had happened to the other lineage chiefs like Li Qingying. After returning the Sacred Seed, their resonances were back to what they were originally.
Unless they were able to reach the Triple Crowned King stage whilst owning the resonance would their resonant grades remain the same. That said this was extremely difficult for many Kings to reach this step. "With your talent, i'm sure you'll become much stronger than those old people like us. Perhaps by the time you return the Sacred Seed, you will no longer require its blessings." Li Qingying sighed emotionally. Li Luo's speed of growth was far too rapid and when compared to the elderly like them who had reached the limits of their potential, this junior was literally just starting to flourish. Perhaps this was the power of the Absolute Resonance Seed and it was no wonder that in the past, the Sacred Void Resonance Sect could exist as a behemoth. It was no wonder why Li Tianji had demonstrated such generosity, essentially cleaning out the treasury. "Then i'll have to borrow Lineage chief Qingying's kind words and hope that they become a reality." Li Luo grinned before moving towards Jiang Qing'e and the rest.
Ox Biaobiao had also returned to the Xia Kingdom this time, bringing along Li Rouyun. He had said that he wished to bring her to see House Luolan and that was where he had made many deep memories. "Little Luo, looking at the time, we should be approaching the East Divine Continent soon. Whilst you were cultivating, we passed through several smaller cities and even visited the Golden Dragon Banks present to obtain information on the Xia Kingdom in the East Divine Continent." Ox Biaobiao's voice was loud and resonant as he looked upon Li Luo with the same gaze of intimacy as if he were looking upon his own nephew. He didn't feel any sense of alienation nor was in awe at Li Luo's newfound strength. He had watched the boy grow up and when Li Taixuan and Tan Tailan had left during those years, he was the one who had secretly protected House Luolan, Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e in the dark with his injured body, warding off the predatory experts who eyed them.
On the other hand Li Rouyun wasn't as relaxed. Although she tried her best to act normally, a look of restraint was seen in her eyes. She was someone who had grown up in the Bloodline of Heavenly Emperor Li and was most aware of how authoritative Li Luo's identity as a lineage chief was. Thus it was difficult for her to see Li Luo as the same kid whom she had brought back to the Dragon's Fang Lineage all those years ago. "Oh? What news is there about the Xia Kingdom?" Li Luo hurriedly asked.
The East Divine Continent was essentially a barren and desolate plain when compared to the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. Meanwhile the Xia Kingdom was even more innocuous. Thus they couldn't collect any relevant information from the Golden Dragon Bank within the Heavenly Origin Divine Continent. That said, as they began to approach the East Divine Continent, they found what they were looking for.
Ox Biaobiao smiled and nodded his head as he took out a thick scroll and unfurled it. Within was a comprehensive and vast map as he pointed to the southern part of it. "This is the Xia Kingdom. With our current pace, we should arrive in about ten days. The current Xia Kingdom is no longer the same as what we knew it to be years ago. It's been split into the north and south, the south being controlled by the First Princess Gong Luanyu's royal court which is situated in the City of Southwind. The place you used to learn in, Southwind Academy, has already changed and become the Astral Sage College's new headquarters. Thus the City of Southwind is the new capital of the southern region and all of the major forces have their headquarters situated there. At the same time, it also serves as the strongest line of defence against the Other Disaster afflicting the Xia Kingdom. Meanwhile the northern region is controlled by the Regent. In recent years, he's taken advantage of the Other Disasters attacking the southern region to launch his own assaults, taking territory and causing untold numbers of deaths."
Hearing these familiar names and locations caused Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e's to blank out for a moment as they immersed themselves in their memories.
"However the Regent isn't to be worried. The most troublesome thing is still the Xia Kingdom's Other Disaster." Ox Biaobiao pointed at the centre of the Xia Kingdom and drew out a line. Although it might not look very noticeable on the map, it cut through the Xia Kingdom's original location and was a zone of death which separated both the northern and southern regions. "The Other Disaster which struck the Xia Kingdom originated from the capital and stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles. Countless cities were destroyed and lives lost. In the first one or two years after the Other Disaster happened, the southern region's royal court was repeatedly defeated, causing them to lose many territories and the Others had even reached the point of invading the City of Southwind. However the Astral Sage College used all their strength to unite the existing powers as they fought desperately to resist the tide of enemies. After a bitter struggle, they managed to protect the City of Southwind. Now both parties have been engaged in a tug of war around the city as they fight for every inch of territory these last few years."
Ox Biaobiao's words caused Li Luo's expression to turn solemn. He was very clear that this simple explanation had hidden the true cost of the conflict, the sheer number of casualties and injuries.