The skies above the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion burned with an unnatural crimson hue, as if the heavens themselves bled. Li Luo stood at the edge of the pavilion's jade platform, his silver hair catching the faint glow of resonance lanterns. His three resonance palaces pulsed within him—water, wood, and the newly awakened primal resonance, a mysterious force that thrummed with untamed potential. Beside him, Jiang Qing'e stood like a goddess of light, her ninth-grade light resonance casting a radiant halo that softened the ominous dusk.
"Something's wrong," Li Luo murmured, his eyes narrowing at the horizon. A faint tremor rippled through the air, carrying a strange, discordant hum that set his resonance palaces vibrating. "This isn't just a storm."
Qing'e's golden eyes flickered with unease. "The resonance flow is chaotic. It's as if the world's pulse is… unraveling." Her voice was calm, but her hand rested on the hilt of her light-forged sword, ready for battle.
Below them, the Heavenly Dragon Pavilion buzzed with activity. Elders of the Five Guardian Armies rushed to and fro, their resonant energies clashing as they debated the anomaly. The Xia Kingdom had only just begun to recover from the cataclysmic battles that had crowned Li Luo as the Grand Guardian General of the Heavenly Dragon Guardians. Peace was fragile, and this disturbance threatened to shatter it.
A deep, resonant chime echoed from the pavilion's central tower, summoning all high-ranking cultivators. Li Luo exchanged a glance with Qing'e, and they descended the platform, their steps synchronized as if drawn by an invisible thread. Their bond, forged through years of trials and unspoken love, needed no words.
Inside the grand hall, the atmosphere was tense. The five Guardian Generals—each a powerhouse at the Greater Transcendent Duke stage—stood in a semicircle around a massive resonance array etched into the floor. At its center hovered a crystalline orb, pulsing with chaotic energy that flickered between colors: azure, emerald, and a deep, unsettling black.
Elder Weng, the grizzled leader of the Dragon Fang Guardians, stepped forward. "The array has detected a rift opening beyond the East Divine Continent," he said, his voice gravelly. "It's in the uncharted lands—possibly the fabled Origin Continent. This energy… it's unlike anything we've seen. It's as if the source of all resonances is stirring."
Li Luo's heart quickened. The Origin Continent was a myth, a land whispered of in ancient texts, said to be the cradle of all resonances. His father, Li Taixuan, had once spoken of it in passing, his eyes distant with secrets. Could this be tied to his parents' disappearance?
"Elder Weng," Qing'e interjected, her voice cutting through the murmurs, "what does the rift portend? Is it a threat to Xia?"
The elder's face darkened. "The array's readings suggest a force awakening—something ancient, tied to the creation of resonances themselves. If it destabilizes, it could unravel the cultivation foundations of our world. Every resonance palace, every cultivator, could be at risk."
The hall erupted in heated debate. Some generals advocated sealing the rift immediately, while others argued for an expedition to investigate. Li Luo remained silent, his mind racing. He felt a pull, a faint whisper from his primal resonance, urging him toward the unknown. It was the same instinct that had guided him through the Noble's Battlefield and the battles against the Other Kings.
As the arguments grew louder, a faint vision flickered in Li Luo's mind—a memory not his own. He saw a vast, desolate plain under a shattered sky, where two figures stood against a towering shadow. His father, Li Taixuan, wielded a dragon-shaped resonance blade, while his mother, Tantai Lan, radiated a celestial aura, her resonance sealing a vortex of chaotic energy. "The Myriad Idols' Origin must not awaken," Tantai Lan's voice echoed, sharp and resolute. Then the vision faded, leaving Li Luo breathless.
"Li Luo?" Qing'e's hand brushed his arm, her touch grounding him. "What did you see?"
He shook his head, unsure how to explain. "My parents… they knew something about this. I think they're connected to whatever's happening."
Before he could elaborate, the crystalline orb in the array shattered with a deafening crack. A surge of chaotic resonance energy flooded the hall, knocking weaker cultivators to their knees. Li Luo instinctively summoned his water resonance, a shimmering barrier protecting Qing'e and himself. The energy coalesced into a faint, humanoid silhouette within the array—a projection of an ancient figure cloaked in black, its eyes glowing with countless resonance sparks.
"Children of the new era," the figure intoned, its voice reverberating like a thousand clashing resonances, "the Myriad Idols' Origin stirs. The Idol Kings awaken, and your world's balance hangs by a thread. Seek the Origin Continent, or all you hold dear will crumble."
The projection vanished, leaving the hall in stunned silence. Li Luo's primal resonance thrummed violently, as if responding to the figure's words. He glanced at Qing'e, whose expression was resolute.
"We have to go," he said, his voice firm. "If this is tied to my parents, to the resonances themselves, we can't ignore it."
Qing'e nodded, her light resonance flaring briefly. "Then we go together. Whatever lies beyond, we'll face it as one."
Elder Weng approached, his face grim. "This is no simple mission, Grand Guardian General. The Origin Continent is a land of death and mystery. You'll need a team—your most trusted allies."
Li Luo's mind flashed to his comrades: Lu Qing'er, with her ice resonance; Cai Wei, managing House Luolan; and others who had fought by his side. But he also knew the journey would demand more than strength—it would require unraveling the secrets of his lineage and the Absolute Resonance within him.
As the pavilion mobilized for the expedition, Li Luo felt the weight of destiny settle on his shoulders. The Xia Kingdom, his parents' legacy, and the world's resonances hung in the balance. The Origin Continent awaited, and with it, answers to questions he had carried his entire life.
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