章 23: Chapter 126 - 128:Carving the Dao, Engraving a Sword. Not A Blade Grass Leave Behind. Li Tiangang's Questioning.
Chapter 126: Carving the Dao, Engraving a Sword (End of Chapter)
There is a military taboo that warns against entering the forest to pursue an enemy and finishing off a defeated foe.
Yet, Li Hao disregarded these warnings and gave chase. Li Hongzhuang wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
She gritted her teeth in anger and swiftly swung her sword, intending to slaughter the demons before her and then pursue Li Hao.
She feared that if she left, these demons would ravage the graveyard, where the lonely souls of over ninety thousand Blood Demon Army soldiers, as well as the generals under her third and sixth brothers, rested.
For many years, she had steadfastly guarded not a city, but the people within it.
She only hoped that Li He could intercept Li Hao in time or, at the very least, ensure his safe return.
Whoosh!
Li Hao pursued his quarry at full speed. The demons on the ground attempted to block his path, but he mercilessly slashed them down with his sword.
He trampled over the fallen demon corpses, his speed increasing with each step.
His mastery over objects was already three times that of an average Heavenly Man Realm cultivator, and now, with the White Phoenix Traveling True Form Technique, he was only slightly slower than the two Great Demons, but he could still keep up without losing them.
After pursuing them for forty miles, just as the two Great Demons were about to escape into the wilderness, Li Hao shouted, "Stop!"
The two Great Demons turned their heads abruptly, their faces contorting with malevolence and cold smiles. They had fled to this place with the intention of luring Li Hao here.
Li Hao's gaze fell on the snow-white fangs of the Six-Toothed Hog, and he said, "Your fangs are quite impressive. I happen to be missing a sword, so I hope you can lend them to me temporarily for polishing."
"You're just asking to die!"
The Six-Toothed Hog was enraged. How dare a mere Heavenly Man Realm cultivator covet its precious fangs? It roared, its body expanding as demonic energy boiled within it, forming a ten-zhang-tall giant hog shadow behind it.
Its pitch-black fur turned crimson, like engorged blood vessels, and its bristles stood erect like steel needles, exuding a formidable aura. With a display of its might, it charged towards Li Hao.
If it had been any other Heavenly Man Realm warrior without the protection of the Heart-Protecting Military Might Formation, the sheer intimidation emanating from this demon hog would have been enough to shatter their courage and cause them to drop their weapons in fear.
Although Li Hao was already at the Heavenly Man Realm, the aura affected him only slightly.
He suddenly exhibited the Tiger Suppression characteristic, his entire body seeming to reverberate with the roar of a fierce tiger. At the same time, instead of evading, he fearlessly stepped forward, confronting the charging hog demon whose momentum was enough to crush a fortress wall.
He extended his arms, and the Coiling Dragon Map characteristic was activated, making his body as stable as an unshakable mountain.
With a loud bang, he clenched the hog demon's tusks in his hands, and the violent impact caused his body to slide back several dozen meters in the air.
However, his feet remained firmly planted in the stance he had taken.
"Get up!"
Li Hao roared, and the slender arms of the young man suddenly erupted with the power of a true dragon. He yanked on the tusks, lifting the hog demon's body high into the air before viciously turning and slamming it down onto the ground on the other end.
The earth trembled, and a deafening roar, like an earthquake, reverberated as a deep pit formed from the impact.
Hidden in the shadows, Li He, who had been about to make his move, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his pupils contracting as he was stunned by what he witnessed.
Along the way, he had sensed the presence of a powerful expert secretly protecting Li Hao. Apart from Li Hao's battle with Li Tiangang, he had not seen Li Hao fight against any other Immortal Evading Realm cultivators.
Yet, whether it was the previous punch that had repelled the giant Roc or the current display of strength as he smashed the hog demon, Li Hao had demonstrated formidable and domineering power.
Could he truly be just at the Heavenly Man Realm?
Never had there been such a formidable Heavenly Man Realm master!
On the collapsed ground, the Six-Toothed Hog let out a pitiful squeal, vomiting a mouthful of bile and blood, the stench filling the air with a putrid smell.
Although it had reached the Indestructible Realm, its bristles, skin, and flesh were as tough as forged iron, impervious to blades and swords. However, under the might of Li Hao's arms, which exerted a force of thirty million jin, it was still brutally slammed around, its internal organs displaced, and it suffered severe injuries.
"Stop, you bastard!"
Just as Li Hao was about to finish off the hog demon, Chi Hu Jun couldn't tolerate it any longer and roared in fury as he charged towards Li Hao.
Li Hao immediately unleashed the characteristic of the Lonely Mountain Map, and behind him, an ancient demon king's shadow appeared, standing on a mountain with a tiger-like body.
Its eyes seemed to overlap with Li Hao's as they raised their heads in unison, coldly glancing at the approaching Chi Hu Jun.
Chi Hu Jun's pupils contracted as he felt a formidable aura sweeping towards him like a mighty river, pressing down on his chest and causing his blood to run cold.
His body, which had been charging forward in reinforcement, suddenly paused under this intimidation.
In that brief moment of hesitation, Li Hao's body shot forward, diving towards the Six-Toothed Hog. His feet landed on its head, pressing down with the weight of a thousand mountains. The hog demon, which had just struggled to its feet, was once again slammed into the ground.
Subsequently, Li Hao hugged one of the hog's tusks, as white as ivory, and with a twist of his waist, he harnessed his full strength. There was a crisp crack, and he actually broke off one of the two-meter-long tusks.
As the tusk snapped off, blood splattered, and the Six-Toothed Hog let out a piercing scream, its four hooves kicking wildly in agony.
Li Hao, however, hugged the tusk and viciously thrust it into the hog's eye socket with his other hand.
Although the Six-Toothed Hog had reached the Indestructible Realm, it had not cultivated to the pinnacle of perfection. The area around its eye sockets remained its weakest point, and the tusk easily penetrated, stabbing deep into its eye, causing it to let out an even more ear-piercing scream that shook the heavens and the wilderness.
Chi Hu Jun also came to his senses at this moment, his heart filled with shock. In just a short moment, the Six-Toothed Hog, a mid-stage Immortal Evading Realm demon, had been almost killed by this young man?!
"Stop!"
Chi Hu Jun roared once more and charged towards Li Hao.
Li Hao pulled out the tusk with both hands and turned to face the approaching Chi Hu Jun. His eyes turned icy, and he suddenly executed a single-strike sword technique that he had comprehended himself.
Meteor Fall!
This sword technique incorporated the meteor's intent, similar in essence to the Angry Star technique.
Using the tusk as a sword, white light instantly illuminated the area, and sword energy crisscrossed. Li Hao infused the 'Hidden Bow' sword technique characteristic, which was inherent in his physical body, into this strike, concealing the true killing move of this sword strike while also doubling its destructive power when it hit the target without being noticed!
Chi Hu Jun roared in a mixture of shock and anger, swinging the divine iron chains around his body to forcefully strike the sword energy emanating from the tusk.
The sword light pierced his chest, spraying blood in all directions, and his internal organs exploded.
Although he had reached the Indestructible Realm, and his physical body was already impervious to decay, he was unable to withstand the power of this sword strike.
Chi Hu Jun's body stumbled backward, his eyes widening in terror as the shadow of death loomed over him. He quickly activated his Indestructible power, causing his body to rapidly heal.
Without a second thought, he took advantage of the momentum from the impact and turned to flee, using the opportunity to escape while his body was still healing.
This turn of events caused Li He, hidden in the shadows, to stare with eyes wide open.
When Li Hao had first given chase, Li He had inwardly sighed, feeling that the situation was tricky. Even for him, dealing with these two great demons would be challenging.
Yet, Li Hao had effortlessly crippled and defeated them with his own strength!
This son of Li Tiangang, the young master of the Li family, was truly a monstrous genius beyond compare!
While it wasn't unheard of for a Heavenly Man Realm Grand Master to battle and defeat three Immortal Evading Realm demons, it was a rare feat among the Li family's direct descendants. Most of their impressive records involved defeating early-stage Immortal Evading Realm demons.
If they faced mid-stage demons, they would rely on their divine weapons to fight on equal footing.
But Li Hao had taken on two demons single-handedly and defeated them without the aid of any weapons!
As Chi Hu Jun fled, Li Hao's eyes glinted with a cold light. He suddenly threw the wild boar's tusk, infusing it with his object manipulation ability and activating the 'Flying Section' chess characteristic.
This ability, recorded alongside the Myriad Phenomena Chess Manual and embedded into his flesh, was rarely used by Li Hao.
Flying Section doubled the range of his attack, granting him an extremely long-distance striking capability with an additional attack bonus!
At this moment, by combining Flying Section with Hidden Bow, the two characteristics, along with the sword intent inherent in the wild boar's tusk, instantly covered a distance of several dozen li.
Chi Hu Jun was already fleeing at top speed, his movement causing the ground to reverberate with loud thumps. However, the sudden sound of tearing through the air approached with alarming speed.
Chi Hu Jun's eyes widened in shock as he roared and wildly swung the divine iron chains around him, attempting to slow down the attacking tusk.
But the tusk easily broke through the chains, sending them flying.
However, the true killing move was the sword energy hidden behind the tusk.
With a loud bang, the sword energy instantly passed through Chi Hu Jun's body, causing his massive tiger-like frame to tremble and crash to the ground, his body splitting apart.
Only the parts of his body that were wrapped in the divine iron chains remained connected, having managed to withstand the sword energy. The rest of his body was completely severed.
Li Hao glanced at Chi Hu Jun and, with a flick of his wrist, manipulated the wild boar's tusk through the air, aiming it straight at Chi Hu Jun's head.
A wisp of its divine soul frantically tried to escape from its shattered head, but the descending tusk mercilessly crushed it, annihilating its soul!
If the divine soul of such a great demon remained, it could parasitize other beings or even possess humans to continue its existence.
After dealing with Chi Hu Jun, Li Hao turned his attention to the six-toothed hog, which was struggling on the ground. Without hesitation, he summoned back the tusk and, in the same manner, impaled the wild boar's head, nailing it to the ground.
The night wind was bitterly cold.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Standing atop the mountain-like body of the wild boar, Li Hao pulled out the other tusk, his movements casual.
Aside from the roc demon, which had wisely fled at the first sign of danger, Li Hao had single-handedly defeated two mid-stage Immortal Evading Realm demons!
Having defeated two Immortal Evading Realm demons with his Heavenly Man Realm cultivation, the young man's silhouette stood tall against the night wind, his figure as sharp as a spear.
As the battle concluded, Li Hao's tensed body finally relaxed. The aftermath of Seven Stars Lighting Up and the overdraft of his Yin-Yang dual meridians kicked in, causing him to pant heavily. His entire body felt weak and fatigued.
He had not yet reached the Indestructible Realm and could not rely on its power to instantly restore his condition.
However, with the Concealment Art, he could slowly recover by simply relaxing his body, an advantage that other Heavenly Man Realm cultivators did not possess.
Li Hao did not rush back to the camp but instead sat atop the wild boar's colossal body to rest.
In his current state, he could still hold his ground against any Immortal Evading Realm demon except those in the late stage. If there were any more hidden within the darkness, it would be up to his grandfather to deal with them.
With this battle concluded, Li Hao had a vague understanding of his current power limits, and he was content with the results.
However, he also realized that the man he had fought in the city possessed overwhelming strength.
After suffering the backlash of the Heart-Rending Vow and severely injuring himself, the man had temporarily restored his cultivation to the mid-stage Immortal Evading Realm and easily suppressed him.
This was the strength of a true dragon, a top genius of the Li family, far surpassing that of an average mid-stage Immortal Evading Realm demon. It was a level of power that could be described as overwhelming.
Only a swarm of over ten peak mid-stage Immortal Evading Realm demons could force him to reveal his true limits.
But back then, Li Hao had not been as strong as he was now. With his current strength, he might be able to fight that man to a draw.
Li Hao looked up at the starry sky, the stars shining brighter and clearer than they had in the city.
The countless stars seemed to be reflected in the young man's eyes, shining with a cold, starlight gleam.
Li Hao knew that, aside from comprehending the spirit and entering the Immortal Evading Realm, there was still immense room for improvement within the Heavenly Man Realm.
For example, he could push his physical strength in the Penetrating Power Realm to its utmost limit!
To do so, he would need a variety of cultivation techniques to identify and address any shortcomings, refining his body to perfection.
"My physical strength in the Penetrating Power Realm has already exceeded 100,000 jin, but it seems I haven't reached the limit yet. I can still further enhance my physical power!"
"The Li family doesn't have many body-refining techniques. These demons might have a stronger focus on physical cultivation."
Li Hao's thoughts turned inward as he contemplated.
The bodies of demons were often comparable to blades and swords, their strength wild and savage. They had their own unique methods of refining their bodies.
The body-refining techniques of humans were developed by powerful human cultivators, while demon techniques were naturally developed by demons.
Humans could forge divine armor and weapons, and with the aid of various cultivation techniques, they could enhance their strength more quickly and efficiently. As a result, the art of body refinement had declined in popularity among humans, but the same could not be said for demons.
In Li Hongzhuang's understanding, Li He's abilities should fall far short of her own. Even she wouldn't be able to slay two Undying Realm great demons so swiftly, let alone Li He. Could it be that Li Hao had accomplished this feat on his own?
Li Hongzhuang's thoughts turned to the previous occasion when Li Hao had smashed the giant roc demon with a single punch, and her expression shifted slightly. After all, Li Hao was merely at the Heavenly Man Realm, wasn't he?
She stood at the gate, her eyes filled with doubt as she waited for the young man to return.
"Did you defeat these demons by yourself, or did Li He help you?" Li Hongzhuang asked without delay.
"By myself," Li Hao replied. "Thank you for your hard work."
"This is my duty, there's no need to mention it," Li Hongzhuang retorted, her tone slightly annoyed. She studied Li Hao with a probing gaze and asked, "Are you really the child of my seventh brother?"
"No," Li Hao answered.
"...In terms of..." Li Hongzhuang began.
"Neither," Li Hao interrupted, shaking his head. Why couldn't they move past this topic?
He walked into the camp, holding the wild boar tusks in his arms. His spiritual soul hovered above his head, scanning the area. He spotted Ren Qianqian and Xiao Baihu by the campfire, unharmed. The tents near the fire remained intact, save for the package of roasted meat wrapped in leaves, which was noticeably absent.
"...''
Li Hao was at a loss for words.
He could almost picture Wind Elder sneaking away with the roasted meat during the chaos, sitting in the shadows and leisurely enjoying his meal while casually swatting away any demons that dared to approach Ren Qianqian.
While he and Li Hongzhuang had been fighting for their lives, the old man had been relaxing.
However, Li Hao felt nothing but gratitude towards the elder. If not for his whispered transmission, Li Hao wouldn't have known how to cross that threshold. It was the elder's words that had given him courage.
It was Wind Elder who had protected him all the way from Qingzhou to Liangzhou and to this place. Along the journey, the elder had secretly slain countless demons without Li Hao's knowledge.
Ever since Li Hao had set foot outside of Li Mansion, news of his departure had spread like wildfire, attracting the attention of countless demons who held a grudge against the Li family. His journey had been fraught with the constant threat of these vengeful beings.
It was Wind Elder who had shielded him from all of this.
On that day of heavy snowfall, not a single snowflake had landed on the runaway youth, as the elder's thin and frail figure stood between him and the falling snow.
This debt of gratitude was something Li Hao couldn't express in words.
At that moment, Li Hongzhuang returned to the campfire as well. Her expression was slightly weary, as the use of her Undying Power had left her temporarily unable to use it again without causing permanent damage to her body and hindering her progress to higher realms.
While it appeared to be a power that could be tapped into at will, its effects were incredibly potent. In critical moments, it could not only save one's life but also greatly enhance their combat prowess. It was like having an extra life.
Moreover, while in the Undying state, one's power wouldn't wane, providing an endless source of strength to freely unleash devastating techniques that would ordinarily be too taxing. Their combat prowess could increase severalfold!
"How did you manage to defeat them? Did Li He help you deal with one of them?" Li Hongzhuang inquired as she sat down, still finding it hard to believe that Li Hao could have single-handedly overcome two Undying Realm great demons.
"You're overthinking it," Li Hao replied nonchalantly.
Unless it was a matter of life and death, Li He wouldn't intervene. He understood the intentions of the man in the city—to use the harshness and dangers of Tianmen Pass to force him to return, to make him bow his head and change his temperament.
Li Hongzhuang started to ask, "...In terms of talent..." but was interrupted by Li Hao's headshake.
"Neither," he said, clearly exasperated by their constant return to this topic. Why couldn't they just move past it?
He walked into the camp, the wild boar tusks cradled in his arms. His spiritual soul hovered above, scanning the area for any signs of danger. He spotted Ren Qianqian and Xiao Baihu by the campfire, unharmed. The tents near the fire remained intact, except for the noticeably absent package of roasted meat that had been wrapped in leaves.
Li Hao was at a loss for words. He could almost picture Elder Wind sneaking away with the roasted meat during the chaos, sitting in the shadows and leisurely enjoying his stolen meal while casually swatting away any demons that dared to approach Ren Qianqian.
While he and Li Hongzhuang had been fighting for their lives, the old man had been relaxing and enjoying himself.
However, Li Hao felt nothing but gratitude towards the elder. If not for his whispered advice, Li Hao wouldn't have known how to cross that threshold. It was the elder's words that had given him the courage to persevere.
Elder Wind had protected him all the way from Qingzhou to Liangzhou and to this very place. Along the journey, the elder had secretly slain countless demons without Li Hao ever knowing.
Ever since Li Hao had left the Li Mansion, news of his departure had spread like wildfire, attracting the attention of countless demons who held grudges against the Li family. His journey had been fraught with constant threats from these vengeful beings, yet Elder Wind had shielded him from it all.
On that day of heavy snowfall, not a single snowflake had landed on the runaway youth, as the elder's thin and frail figure stood between him and the falling snow.
This debt of gratitude was something Li Hao couldn't express in words.
At that moment, Li Hongzhuang returned to the campfire as well. Her expression was slightly weary, as the use of her Undying Power had left her temporarily drained and unable to use it again without causing permanent damage to her body and hindering her progress to higher realms.
While it appeared to be a power that could be tapped into at will, its effects were incredibly potent. In critical moments, it could not only save one's life but also greatly enhance their combat prowess, almost like having an extra life.
Moreover, while in the Undying state, one's power remained constant, providing an endless source of strength to freely unleash devastating techniques without the usual taxing consequences. Their combat prowess could increase severalfold!
"How did you manage to defeat them? Did Li He help you deal with one of them?" Li Hongzhuang inquired as she sat down, still finding it hard to believe that Li Hao could have single-handedly overcome two Undying Realm great demons.
"You're overthinking it," Li Hao replied nonchalantly.
Unless it was a matter of life and death, Li He wouldn't intervene. He understood the intentions of the man in the city—to use the harshness and dangers of Tianmen Pass to force him to return and to make him bow his head and change his temperament.
Chapter 127: Not a Blade of Grass Left
While roasting the monster's fangs with his palm, Li Hao asked Li Hongzhuang,
"You know the location of the lairs of the Great Demons that attacked tonight, don't you?"
Li Hongzhuang paused slightly, then said, "What, do you actually intend to take out their lairs?"
Li Hongzhuang had nothing to say, of course, there was no problem. If it were possible to destroy them, not only would he want to go personally, but she would also like to flatten them.
In the past, when she was stationed here, she couldn't leave, otherwise, once the demons invaded and she was not there to protect them, the soldiers, even with the help of several deputy generals, would not be able to withstand attacks from the three Immortal Great Demons.
After all, Cangya City had been breached before, and there were no defensive Array walls left, leaving it completely defenseless. The divine might of just the three Immortal Great Demons was enough for the army to handle.
"You've just arrived, and I haven't had the chance to tell you about the demon forces outside Heavenly Gate Pass," she said.
Li Hongzhuang began drawing on the sandy ground in front of the campfire with her sword.
She had not intended to discuss this with Li Hao since he was just a child.
From the information she had received from Li He, she already knew that her Seventh Brother was planning to abandon Heavenly Gate Pass. After all, the reinforcements sent over the years had been dwindling, and no one bothered to repair the broken walls.
If it weren't for the fact that this was Dayu territory, land that their ancestors of the Li Family had opened up, they wouldn't have defended this place to death.
Sending this child over for what they called a handover was merely a way of telling them that it was fine to give up this place.
Incidentally, they wanted this genius son, who had conflicts with her, to lower his head and experience the peril of the demons.
Only, she was quite sure her Seventh Brother hadn't anticipated that on just the first night of his arrival, her monstrous child would single-handedly slay two of the Immortal Great Demons that had plagued this place for years!
This battle achievement, if discussed at other Frontier Passes for rewards and promotions, would probably warrant a first-class special merit, and if he didn't already hold a noble title, he could be directly crowned as a third-class earl!
"The three demons you saw tonight, each belongs to a mountain territory ruled by a Demon King," she said.
Li Hongzhuang drew a circle with her sword: "This is our Cangya City."
As she said this, she laughed self-deprecatingly; there was nothing left around them that could be called a "city."
"Three thousand miles to the east from here is the remote town of Northern Cold Country," she said.
"Between them, right here, there is a mountain range, the first stronghold of the demon forces outside the territory."
Li Hongzhuang drew a small circle, her expression growing solemn:
"That is Longshan Taoist Temple, inhabited by a ten thousand-year-old True Dragon that calls itself the Dragon Lord!"
"It's a Great Demon from the Four Stands Realm!"
Hearing her words, Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly, staring at the circle in front of the sword tip.
"This is forbidden territory; no matter what happens, do not set foot here," she said seriously. "Under normal circumstances, the Dragon Lord will not leave Longshan Taoist Temple, nor will it attack Heavenly Gate Pass because if it does come, it would be violating our territory!"
Li Hao nodded slightly, recalling the conversations he'd had with his Second Uncle while fishing.
These Great Demons from outside the Frontier Passes didn't dare to invade recklessly.
The answer was simple: they had all been personally warned by the elder generation of each Divine General Mansion.
It was like the ancient treaty agreement signed between Dayu and the Demon Kings of the Four Stands Realm.
Either the older generation of the Divine General Mansion would take action, or, it would be the Immortal from Gan Tao Palace.
This majestic and ancient royal dynasty, though now aged, still retained a deterrent force and presence that commanded respect in all directions.
As for why they only issued a warning and didn't directly slay the Great Demons, that's another matter.
The number of these Great Demons is not small, they are just not united. If warned individually, they would remain wary, but if a mass slaughter occurred, agitating the rest who might band together in response, it could cause heavy casualties for Dayu.
Ultimately, it comes down to Dayu no longer having the power to completely exterminate all surrounding demons.
After all, among these demons, some have become particularly troublesome to handle.
The Immortal of Gan Tao Palace spends most of the year seated in the Yuzhou Imperial Capital and seldom steps out, wary of some demons that might sneak in and launch an attack on the Imperial Capital!
At this moment, Li Hongzhuang reiterated the rules and agreements regarding trespassing of the Four Stands Realm's Demon Kings to Li Hao, and then said:
"Even though these Four Stands Realm Demon Kings seem obedient and don't dare to invade rashly, the military strength of our dynasty is fading, and Mo River has tied up the resources of Tianzhao Divine General Mansion for seven to eight hundred years, making these demons grow restless again."
"They themselves do not dare to take risks easily, fearing retaliation and execution, but they frequently condone other demons under their command to probe our defenses."
"Thus, even if the imperial court asks, it's just a pointless verbal dispute, so we have to endure it!"
Li Hao nodded, continuing to listen.
He had previously asked his Second Uncle why the Four Stands Realm Great Demons didn't dare to invade and suggested the older generation could be stationed at the Frontier Passes for stability.
However, the reply he got was that there weren't many elders in the Four Stands Realm.
Moreover, apart from these like-registered old Demon Kings that had been warned, every few or a dozen years, there would still spontaneously appear other Four Stands Realm Demon Kings.
They came from far-off places or cultivated in the deep mountains and forests, unfamiliar with Dayu.
When they wandered into Dayu territory, they often acted unrestrainedly, some rampaging through cities and lands, and if not stopped in time, were even capable of devouring half a state.
The elders needed to deal with these demons, and for those who had already violated the territory and caused mass casualties, there was no point in warnings—they had to be executed to set an example, leading to inevitable great battles.
Many of the old generation in the Divine General Mansion had died for this reason.
Seeing that Li Hao was only listening without any questions, Li Hongzhuang raised an eyebrow and proceeded to speak on her own:
"Although the Dragon Mountain Taoist Master cannot step into the realm, if you rashly appear on its territory, it will have a reason to kill you, so you must absolutely not get close."
"The Chi Hu Jun you saw tonight is actually the steed of the Dragon Mountain Taoist Master."
Li Hongzhuang's eyes turned chilly as she said, "These demons of the Four Stands Realm do not move themselves but allow their demon subordinates to repeatedly invade and test us. Once injured or defeated, they directly flee back. If you rashly pursue and kill them, you might instead get caught and eaten by it."
A steed? Li Hao's expression turned strange.
A True Dragon Demon King with a tiger as a steed?
No wonder the Tiger Demon had chains on it, probably constraints like a saddle, which have also become its weapon for attacking and killing.
"Aside from the Dragon Mountain Taoist Master, the second Demon King is here, to the north."
Li Hongzhuang drew another circle on the ground, but it was much larger in scope and closer to the camp:
"This is the Wan Demon Mountain Range, where there is a Demon King who has cultivated for a very long time. We call it the Wan Shan Demon King."
"This Wan Shan Demon King and the Dragon Lord have comparable strength. It's unclear who is higher or lower, but if we encounter it, death is certain."
"But it too is registered and has been warned. The Six-Tusked Zhe Pig you just slaughtered was one of its fierce generals."
She then drew another circle to the south:
"There is a solitary peak here, but within a five hundred mile radius, no one dares to set foot, not even demons dare rashly enter."
"Inside is the third Demon King, the Sacred Mountain Demon King!"
Li Hongzhuang glanced at Li Hao and said, "You might be somewhat familiar with the origin of this Demon King. It once cultivated in the Holy Palace in Northern Yan, mastering the Peerless Techniques of the Holy Palace's demon race, and seemed to have been one of the elders there. It has since left, and hundreds of years ago took a mountain here and declared it to be the Sacred Mountain."
"Your father fought against the Holy Palace for over a decade. The situation in Northern Yan must be extremely complicated. I also don't know much, but it's truly fortunate that your father was able to return."
Li Hao said nothing, his face expressionless.
He heard the hint in Li Hongzhuang's words: The war in Northern Yan was tough.
The other party probably thought that his conflict with that man was because the man had been at war for many years and had not returned home, leaving him bearing resentments and misunderstandings.
About this, he neither explained nor did he need to explain anything.
"Has the Northern Cold Country trespassed?"
Li Hongzhuang slightly frowned, seeing that Li Hao didn't continue her topic, and she sighed softly in her heart.
As Li Hao's aunt and the seventh brother's younger sister, of course she hoped for father and son to resolve their conflicts and reconcile.
But for now, it seemed there was no effect.
She didn't dwell on it any longer and refocused on Li Hao's question, saying:
"The Northern Cold Country wouldn't dare to offend openly, but they do like to play little tricks in secret, like worshipping the Dragon Mountain Taoist Master, secretly sacrificing numerous living beings every year, to probe us."
At this point, her expression turned ice-cold.
Li Hao frowned, sacrificing living people to demons; in Dayu, only some extremely backward villages and towns would do this.
Mortals offer sacrifices to demons in exchange for protection or demonic strength to exploit their neighbors.
If the matter was exposed, the Monster Suppression Department would handle it, executing all involved.
But now, other major nations were using these despicable methods against Dayu.
Indeed, in the face of war, all means are exhausted to the extreme.
After Li Hongzhuang finished speaking, Li Hao also had some understanding of the situation outside the Heavenly Gate Pass.
"The Chi Hu Jun and Six-Tusked Zhe Pig you killed last night are likely to be furious. They may attack again soon, perhaps even tomorrow."
Li Hongzhuang's eyes showed no retreat, but instead, a cold killing intent surfaced.
Li Hao nodded slightly and asked, "So do they usually reside in the Demon King's lair, without their own dens?"
Li Hongzhuang said, "The Dragon Mountain Taoist Master is a thousand miles away from here, and it would take a lot of time for it to travel back and forth. Besides, which general likes to stay under the master's watch every day? They all have their own lairs outside, where it's more convenient for them to mate, eat, and drink."
Li Hao's gaze flickered as he said, "Then do you know the locations of their lairs?"
"Do you really intend to wipe out their lairs?"
Li Hongzhuang asked in astonishment.
Li Hao nodded, "Since I've killed them, I might as well kill them all."
He spoke calmly, but Li Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed at his words, and soon a cold face revealed a smile:
"Well said, you've got the killer instinct!"
She promptly drew two circles on the ground with her sword: "Scouts have checked before, it seems in these two directions, roughly three to four hundred miles away, you can check it out, but don't go too far, otherwise, if you enter demon territory and get detected by the Demon King, even gods won't be able to save you!"
Li Hao looked at the crude map she drew, noting down the directions.
At this moment, the fang in his hand was also heated enough.
He immediately retracted the blazing flame in his hand and began to polish the fang with the horn.
[Carving experience +24…+19…+35...]
A series of experience prompts appeared as Li Hao seriously polished.
After half an hour of flame roasting, combined with the horn and brute force, the progress of polishing the fang increased rapidly.
Perhaps due to the rare material of this demon pig's fang, the experience prompt continued uninterrupted, occasionally delivering large amounts of experience.
When the roast was ready, Li Hongzhuang picked it up and began eating.
Meanwhile, Li Hao continued to polish, his Carving Arts suddenly showing a prompt—he had accumulated 500 experience points and advanced to the second segment!
In the blink of an eye, he gained two Skill Points.
Li Hao couldn't help but sigh, "Gaining Skill Points in the Carving Arts really is straightforward."
However, he guessed that it had something to do with the quality of the pig's tusk. If he were to carve ordinary wooden plaques, he estimated the experience points would probably only increase by 1 or 2 points.
To verify this, Li Hao paused his polishing half way through and, when reheating the pig's tusk for the second time, began carving on a tree stump seated with one hand using a beast horn.
With his second-stage Carving Arts, he was already capable of fine carving, lifelike in detail.
He carved a little figure wearing dungarees on the spot, but it only granted him less than 20 experience points.
It seems carving really does relate to the quality of the materials, just like with his painting and fishing, the greater the difficulty, the more experience he gained.
As the bonfire dimmed, Li Hao finished his third polishing, and the originally curved long pig's tusk had been honed into a somewhat sharp crescent moon shape.
But compared to a sword, it was still lacking, barely qualifying as an oversized broadsword with an extremely blunt edge.
It might not guarantee a kill if swung, but it would most likely be lethal if used to bludgeon.
At the base of the tusk, Li Hao carved out a circular hole for easy gripping in the palm.
He instructed Ren Qianqian to not wander around the campsite, and to take good care of the little white fox while he was away.
And he himself casually shouldered the crescent-shaped pig's tusk sword and walked outside the campsite.
Li Hongzhuang returned to the small mound, and seeing Li Hao's actions, she couldn't help but be stunned.
It was still deep into the night, the early hours of the morning.
"Better now than to let them get away," Li Hao said with a smile. For safety, he had taken the opportunity to rest while honing the tusk sword, and now he felt seventy to eighty percent recovered.
Li Hongzhuang was somewhat speechless, having not expected the young man to be more enthusiastic about slaying demons than herself.
"Then take care," Li Hongzhuang said. Li Hao had managed to slay two Great Demons and return unharmed, and although he was only in the Heavenly Human Realm, his combat ability was already at the level of the Three Immortal Realms. With Li He watching over him, she felt relatively at ease.
After all, if one in the Three Immortal Realms still needed to be looked after like a child in swaddling clothes, that would be utterly laughable.
Li Hao nodded and then leaped into the air, disappearing into the night beyond the campsite.
Rushing winds roared as Li Hao traversed mountains and valleys in the dark.
His Divine Soul burst forth from the top of his head, roving under the moonlight, surveilling in all directions.
Occasionally, when he spotted lingering lesser demons, he effortlessly struck them down.
Heading in a straight line in one direction, he left the wilderness outside the pass, crossed forests, and scaled several mountains, traveling three hundred li through the night.
Eventually, Li Hao smelled the strong stench of blood.
On the ground here, there was plenty of fresh blood, as well as the limbs of demon creatures.
He glanced at the remains where there were three bodies of slain demons, their flesh mangled and torn as if they had been injured and then devoured by their own kind.
Li Hao looked ahead, his gaze following to a mountain top surrounded by various remains, the stench of blood wafting over to him.
Without hesitation, he swiftly flew towards it.
"Madam, please restrain your grief. Mr. Black Scale has already gone to Longshan Taoist Temple."
Within the large cave hollowed out from the mountain, the light of a fire flickered, casting several ferocious shadows on the cave walls.
"Shut up, you cowards! If you had covered the retreat for our lord, how could he have died?"
A female's roar echoed from inside the cave.
A momentary silence fell within the cave.
Suddenly, a breeze brought sounds into the cave.
comment
The shadows on the cave wall were startled, and soon after, two of the shadows shrank as figures turned around the corner and approached closer to the cave walls, causing their shadows to diminish.
"To still linger here, quite brave indeed," said a calm voice.
In the moonlight at the cave entrance, Li Hao came carrying the pig's tusk sword, and behind him, bathed in the cold moonlight, was a hillside strewn with demon corpses.
Their deaths were gruesome, with their bodies split open, killed with a single strike.
One of the figures, a brawny man with a leopard's tail, turned pale with bulging eyes filled with horror.
He recognized the face of the young man; their leader had been killed by him!
After the shock, the thought to flee instantly surfaced in his mind, and his body transformed, attempting to escape to another part of the cave.
But a Sword Qi suddenly cleaved through the air, and petals seemed to materialize all around.
How could there be flowers in the cave?
Then, the body of the middle-aged figure split open, collapsing onto the ground with the petals; its body was torn to pieces in an instant.
Whoosh! A Divine Soul rushed out from its body in utter terror, but before it could escape, another Sword Qi passed by, obliterating the Divine Soul instantly.
Seeing this, the other demon didn't wait to speak, instead fleeing deeper into the cave as well.
Li Hao was sitting deep inside the cave, a giant bonfire built from several tree stumps before him.
Next to the bonfire lay four demon corpses, lifeless.
He was flipping through two Cultivation Techniques, which he recorded onto his panel, and then said to the robust woman kneeling before him:
"Got any other Cultivation Techniques?"
"No, there's no more," the robust woman trembled, revealing deep fear in her eyes.
In front of this youth, they didn't even have a chance to escape; the Sword Qi was invisible, seemingly ignoring distance, able to arrive in an instant.
"You mentioned that under the Dragon Mountain Taoist Master, there are six others with a cultivation level comparable to your lord?"
Li Hao frowned slightly. Six Immortal Realm demons, if they were to attack at the same time, Li Hongzhuang and the others would likely have been gone long ago.
"Then why didn't they join forces to attack Heavenly Gate Mountain?" Li Hao asked.
"The, the King said that the Dragon Master doesn't want them to take down Heavenly Gate Mountain too soon. That way, they can slowly savor more delicacies and at the same time, tie down the Li Family's military forces..." the burly woman Trembled as she spoke, her eyes filled with fear, yet it seemed she was also hiding a ferocity.
"If that's the case, why does it want to attack tonight?"
"The King said it wants to eat Li Hongzhuang, as for Heavenly Gate Mountain, it can just stay here, waiting to see if any other Li Family members will come to continue guarding it. If there is one, he will eat one," the burly woman said, cautiously watching Li Hao, the young man in front of her, who also seemed to be a member of the Li Family.
Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly; was Heavenly Gate Mountain being used as bait?
Using Heavenly Gate Mountain to consume offerings from the Northern Cold Country while also fishing for the Li Family.
"Why do they want to keep the Li Family delayed here?" Li Hao asked once more.
"I don't know that, the King didn't tell me," the burly woman said, her face turning pale.
Li Hao regarded her intently.
"It seems..." the burly woman said nervously, moving closer.
Suddenly, her mouth filled with fierce teeth ballooned in size, her expression hideous as she transformed into a huge lion's head, attempting to bite off Li Hao's head.
But the moment she lunged at him, Li Hao pressed down with his palm from above her head, and her chin fiercely knocked against his knees as he sat there. The bones of the lion head's face, evidently, couldn't withstand the hardness of Li Hao's kneecaps; it was like smashing against stone, resulting in the sound of bones fracturing.
While her mind was buzzing in confusion, Li Hao's palm had already swept to the back of her neck, and with a flick of his finger, Sword Qi shot out from his fingertips.
It pierced through her cervical spine at the back of her neck, severing a vertebra, decapitating her.
At that moment, a Divine Soul flew out from the lion head in a panic, attempting to escape in fear, but Li Hao blew on it, cloaking it with the power of object manipulation and explosively crushing the Divine Soul.
After doing all this, Li Hao's gaze fell upon the two Cultivation Techniques in his hand.
Clasping them tightly, the pages of the techniques crumbled to pieces, scattering onto the ground from between his fingers.
Li Hao stood up, dusted off his bottom, and then carried his Boar Tusk Sword out of the cave.
He stood at the entrance of the cave, his Divine Soul flying out, using the mountain as a center to survey the area for dozens of miles around.
He used his Divine Soul to sweep across all the demons within a thirty-mile radius, slashing and killing them.
On the ground, he saw some wild animals not yet tainted with demon aura and dispatched them as well.
Including several ant nests behind the mountain, he waved his hand and collapsed them, even a group of small fish swimming in a nearby stream got crushed.
Meanwhile, he manipulated the soil to fill in both ends of the stream, cutting off the life of this water source.
Without a water source, wild animals would not gather here, greatly reducing the chances of survival.
After doing all this, Li Hao checked again to ensure he hadn't missed any signs of life before stepping away and disappearing into the night.
Li Hao appeared in another hill basin.
This was the lair of the Six-Tusked Boar, with a minor demon wandering on the hilltop outside the basin patrolling.
Li Hao casually picked a weed and pierced its brow from ten miles away.
The patrol flag the minor demon was carrying also dropped.
Li Hao walked straight into the basin. The stench of feces and urine hit him in the face, causing him to frown slightly. He immediately held his breath and rushed in quickly.
Before long, the stench in the basin was intermixed with a heavy scent of blood.
Li Hao's figure rushed out from the inside, swiftly leaving while covering his nose.
The place where the boar demon lived could genuinely suffocate a person...
That boar demon knew how to enjoy itself; aside from seven or eight sow demons, there were also two Leopard Demons and a Sparrow Demon in its lair, leading a rather colorful private life.
Rushing through the night, Li Hao returned to the camp.
Li Hongzhuang sat on a small mound, holding a sword in her arms, appearing to be resting with her eyes closed.
The sound of Li Hao returning made her brows twitch slightly and she slowly opened her eyes, a hint of weariness in her gaze, which she quickly suppressed and asked, "Did you find it?"
"There's no danger, right?" Li Hongzhuang asked, but after glancing at Li Hao's body, she knew it was an unnecessary question.
Li Hao said with lingering fear.
Li Hao smiled, "You should rest first."
Li Hongzhuang gave him a look, asked no more, closed her eyes, and drifted back to sleep.
Li Hao returned to the campfire, where Ren Qianqian came out from the tent and said, "Young Master, you've returned."
"Don't worry about me, go rest," Li Hao waved his hand.
Ren Qianqian looked at him twice, knowing she could not be of any help, wished him goodnight, and went back into the tent.
Li Hao sat down by the campfire, looked around at the night, knowing Feng was still accompanying him in the dark, and couldn't help but silently sigh, even more eager to become stronger quickly so that the old man could relax a bit.
Li Hao mumbled to himself.
"Cheeky boy, remember what you said." A voice drifted into his ears.
Li Hao laughed when he heard it and nodded firmly.
Under the moon and stars, the sky was clear.
The silhouettes of the old and the young were covered by the night, both faces revealing faint smiles.
Li Hao did not rest but began to practice the Body Refining Techniques he had just acquired, a total of five.
However, only two of them were top tier, even surpassing the Listening Rain Tower's Thousand Jiaos Holy Body.
Probably only when Li Hao fully developed the Primordial Skill, he could compete with them.
The two techniques were the "Five Organs Primordial Body" and the "Bright Jade True Demon Skill."
As the skills were input into the panel, both techniques were quickly raised to the highest level.
The massive memories that had flooded into his mind were now sifted through by Li Hao, he reviewed them once, then stood up in front of the extinguished campfire and began to practice.
With the movements of his body, his bones rumbled like low thunder.
His blood and flesh were stimulated to exert tremendous power through the practice of the techniques, simultaneously greedily absorbing the energy of the world, continually filling up.
Li Hao's physical body was rapidly transforming, his skin becoming delicate, smooth, and tough.
Li He, standing in the darkness, watched Li Hao practice, his eyes filled with amazement.
Following these days, this was the first time he saw the peerlessly talented young master practice.
He had heard from people inside the residence that they never saw the young master practice, but to his surprise, the young master practiced in the middle of the night.
But, could practicing for just this bit of time every day raise him to a world-renowned level?
At that moment, Li He saw the energy between heaven and earth surge and rapidly converge towards the young man's body.
Li He's pupils constricted sharply, showing a look of horror.
Was this practicing or plundering?
The energy of the world gathered like a storm, funneling into Li Hao's body and being absorbed by the Five Organs Primordial Body Skill.
Li Hao's body was being rapidly forged and tempered, his internal organs, including his blood and flesh, and meridians, were all being refined.
Terrifying forces radiated from Li Hao's body as his physical strength greatly increased.
Such a commotion made Li Hongzhuang, who was far away, inadvertently open her eyes slightly and look over.
With one set of the technique completed, Li Hao felt his strength increase substantially, his body's energy became more abundant, and his flesh as tough as beast hide.
He then continued to practice a second and a third time.
With each repetition, by the ninth time, the enhancement provided by this technique gradually saturated.
Chapter 128: Li Tiangang Questioning
Li Hao immediately converged the Qi force within his body and gently moved his hands and feet. With the understanding of the Sixth Stage of the Physical Body Path and the penetrating insight of the Grandmaster Realm, he easily gauged the current strength of his flesh.
Initially, it was 100,000 jin. With the improvement of the Physical Body Path and the completion of the Primordial Cultivation Skill to the fourth chapter "Primordial," coupled with the derivation and enhancement of many other techniques, it increased to over 300,000 jin.
Now, this perfected Demon technique had directly added 100,000 jin of strength.
It might not seem like a large increase in strength when compared to the tens of millions of jin of True Qi, and it's not worth mentioning, but excluding Demons, including the strong ones of the Human Race at the Four Stands Realm, very few would have pure physical strength of 100,000 jin!
The stronger the physical strength, the stronger the impact of the Qi force it could withstand.
It's the same blood reversal, others might lose half their lives, but Li Hao would at most spit out some clotted blood and then recover.
As he perfected the Five Zang Hunyuan Skill, in addition to the increase in physical strength, Li Hao felt that his internal organs, like metal, provided him with strong support whether he was walking, sitting, or standing.
Li Hao did not rest and continued to cultivate another technique, "Bright Jade True Demon Skill."
This technique focused on cultivating the exterior, and as he practiced, the energy of heaven and earth once again converged, quickly pouring into his body.
This energy, like dark evil, blocked out the clear night sky and the stars and the moon.
The technique primarily refined energy using Demonic Qi, and fittingly, this place was a battlefield, where the Demonic Qi was most dense.
Countless dark Demonic Qi surrounded Li Hao, shrouding him in darkness, he resembled a true Demon; with every opening and closing of his eyes, it seemed a crimson light burst forth.
"Did he just master that technique... just like that?"
In the shadows, Li He watched in astonishment as Li Hao switched to another technique, the aura of his cultivation even more formidable than the last.
The previous technique, with Li Hao's repeated execution, went from unfamiliar to skilled, and then to rounded perfection, all in the span of seven or eight tries.
Is this... the young master's secret?
A few repetitions to perfection?
It wasn't just Li He, Li Hongzhuang was also shocked from a distance. She had seen prodigies, but never one quite like this.
Even when Li He practiced as a child, it would take a few days to perfect a skill.
Back then, with a technique that would take others the whole night just to grasp, he would be entering the doorway by the next day, eliciting admiration and envy from his siblings.
But the Li Hao in front of her, this wasn't mere entry level accomplishment in a night. This was outright perfection!
And it was not even a full night's work!
As the Demonic Qi converged and continuously poured into his body to be refined, hammering on his body everywhere, Li Hao's physique improved rapidly, his complexion became as fair as jade, like porcelain glazed with a fluid-like strength within.
While absorbing the Demonic Qi, Li Hao started to practice again.
The first time, the second time...
As he continued to perform, the Demonic Qi drew in like a storm.
In the blink of an eye, the eighth repetition was completed.
The Bright Jade True Demon Skill was already mastered, reaching the realm of perfection.
The surrounding Demonic Qi all calmed down, revealing the stars and the moon, shining upon the young man's frame.
Li Hao exhaled gently and looked down at himself; his fingernails were pale, yet with a little force, a faint black Demonic Qi seemed to emerge between them.
This was originally a Demon technique, more suitable for the physique of Demon babies.
But he had altered it through the Physical Body Path into a Body Refining Technique that the Human Race could also practice.
Still, the core essence of Demonic Qi within the technique couldn't be erased.
Li Hao closed his eyes slightly, then reopened them, a faint black air flashing through his pupils, as if his vision had become different, sharper and brighter.
He saw a faint and vague silhouette to his left, it was Li He hiding in the shadows.
He paid no attention; at this point, there was no need to deliberately hide or disguise anything. After all, this place was no longer the Li Mansion.
After finishing his cultivation, Li Hao gauged his bodily strength.
The pure Strength of the Flesh had increased to around 550,000 jin.
This Demon technique's enhancement was more pronounced than that of the Five Zang Hunyuan Skill.
Yet, it still hadn't reached the physical limit of the Power Passage Realm.
Could it be a million jin of strength was necessary... Li Hao's gaze flickered. At the common stage of the Power Passage Realm, addition of Divine Blood amounted to tens of thousands of jin, which was now a hundredfold!
One wonders how exaggerated the limits of other realms could be.
No wonder even within Listening Rain Tower, there were no records of the limits of each realm. If it weren't for his panel, such limits would be unimaginable for ordinary people.
Looking at the stars and the moon, Li Hao pondered for a moment, then settled back without further action and entered light sleep to rest.
Li Hongzhuang glanced at the young man, suppressing the urge to go and ask. Li Hao had slain Chi Hu Jun last night; there was likely to be a fierce battle today, and she needed to quickly adjust her state.
Without the obstruction of city walls, as the dawn light shone in from beyond the pass, it was like a warm hand softly caressing the faces of the two.
Li Hao awoke from his light sleep. With the chess characteristic of concealing one's abilities and biding time, a one or two-hour light sleep was enough to dispel his fatigue.
But besides relieving tiredness, sleeping also felt quite nice.
Too bad the conditions outside the pass didn't allow him to sleep in.
Li Hao rummaged through the camp and found more paper; he immediately began to write again.
Li Hongzhuang also woke up. The chilly morning at the beginning of winter brought with it a light frost mist, making her speech visible as a faint white breath:
"Are you writing another technique?"
"There might be a tough battle today."
"Let's talk about it when it comes."
Li Hao appeared casual, seemingly unconcerned.
Li Hongzhuang glanced at the technique Li Hao was writing and said, "Even if you finish writing, there's no one who can deliver it back for you."
"Maybe this senior gentleman can help."
Li Hao looked toward Li He hidden in the shadows.
Li He hadn't expected Li Hao to be aware of his location. His expression changed slightly. Since things had come to this, there was no need to continue lurking in the darkness. He walked out openly and approached them, saying:
"I am here under your father's orders to protect you. Without a direct command from him, I will not leave."
"Old man, you'd better change your way of talking. Don't keep saying 'your father'."
Li Hao's eyebrows creased as he stared at the other person.
Li He was slightly taken aback, feeling a chill approaching.
He felt somewhat uncomfortable in his heart. Although he had been transferred here temporarily and had heard about the father-son battle in Qingzhou City, in his view, what if there was a battle? After all, they were father and son; could they really sever ties completely?
"Young master, you are being rather disrespectful," Li He said earnestly, his face solemn.
Li Hao's eyes narrowed, a black aura swirling around him, flashing dangerously.
Li He noticed it, but his straightforward nature compelled him to say honestly, "Of course, your father. As for how you treat me, I don't mind..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the young man on the ground suddenly burst into action.
With a whooshing sound, he threw a fierce punch.
Li He was slightly taken aback, his gaze instantly stern as he quickly blocked with a palm strike.
With a bang, two great forces collided, sending Li He flying backward, retreating several tens of meters before coming to a stop. His aged face was filled with shock.
Having observed Li Hao slay two Immortal Great Demons before, his previous experience was not as intense as this moment.
The power of Li Hao's fist was difficult for him to withstand.
"Considering you are an elder, I won't bother with you, but if you don't learn to speak properly, I will really make you shut up!"
Li Hao stood his ground, giving him a cold glance, without pursuing further.
Li He's face grew ugly, as he wanted to say something but stopped himself upon seeing the genuine chill in the youth's eyes, restraining himself.
If Li Hao had made a full effort like yesterday, he doubted whether he could have resisted, after all, his duty was to protect the young man.
Li Hongzhuang called out in a frown when she saw Li Hao actually strike.
Li Hao glanced at her and said, "Elder Hongzhuang, I hope that aside from the arduous task of slaying demons, I can be a bit more pleased in my mood, and I hope you will conduct yourself accordingly."
Hearing Li Hao use such distant language, her face changed slightly as she gazed at him.
She did not know what had happened between this father and son to elicit such strong aversion from the child, even toward her, upon mention of Seventh Brother.
She sighed inwardly and remained silent.
Li Hao went back to his seat as if nothing had happened, continuing to write the secret manual.
Li He stood with his hands behind his back, but the palm that had caught Li Hao's punch was trembling slightly.
Fortunately, the healing ability of the Immortal Great was formidable, capable of regenerating limbs. Soon, the meridians in his arm became smooth again.
Li He looked deeply at the young man, feeling pity, and wondered if the letter sent to Qingzhou City had been received by the general.
In Qingzhou City, at the Divine General Mansion.
A green finch flitted in through the window and landed beside the inkstone on the desk.
Its palm-sized body suddenly swelled to the size of a head, and a scroll of letter was squeezed out from its beak.
The middle-aged man in brown clothes at the desk quickly picked up the letter, spreading it open to read carefully.
After reading, his face turned darker with urgency, and he crushed the letter.
"My lord, is that a letter from the young master?"
Yu Xuan walked in upon seeing the green finch, his eyes revealing concern.
After all, that was the heir of the main house, whose talents, if nurtured, could be sufficient to suppress demons and monsters in the world.
Responding to Yu Xuan's concerned tone, Li Tian Gang snorted angrily, eyes filled with rage:
"It's a reply from Li He. I was wondering why he's so stubborn, turns out someone's backing him. Uncle Two, Uncle Five, truly harmful. Do they really have to ruin Hao Er before they are satisfied?"
Yu Xuan was a bit taken aback and couldn't help asking, "My lord, what do you mean by that?"
Li Tian Gang was in no mood to continue.
The content of the letter had rekindled the anger he had managed to subdue over the last few days.
He had sent Li He to covertly protect Li Hao along the way, only for Li He to discover that another powerful figure was secretly following Li Hao, and he suspected it might be one of the top figures from the Four Stands Realm.
That's the Four Stands Realm, a place with few such individuals in the whole Dayu, so why would someone of such stature condescend to protect a child?
Undoubtedly, it was Uncle Two and Uncle Five who pulled strings, calling in favors from their old friends.
This was equivalent to wasting precious favors for nothing, and employing a Four Stands Realm expert to accompany a child was an enormous waste.
With this spare time, they could have slain numerous demons!
Most importantly, it went against his wishes.
He wanted Li Hao to go to Heavenly Gate Pass, to the frontier, to crush his stubbornness, to let him witness the terror between life and death, to let him realize that the outside world was not as comfortable and warm as the Divine General Mansion.
Now, with a Four Stands Realm expert secretly protecting him, how could he experience anything!
In doing so, did they really have to wait three years for the kid to return and sever ties with him? With the boy's stubborn nature, he'd likely harbor grudges after three years.
The more Li Tian Gang thought about it, the angrier he became, hoping that the Four Stands Realm expert wouldn't have the patience to accompany Li Hao for three years.
Given the boy's disagreeable temperament, it was unlikely the other party could endure.
However, if Uncle Two and Uncle Five indulged him and promised great favors, it was not impossible that they'd really accompany him for three years.
Thinking of this, he immediately set out to go find them for an explanation.
Just as he stepped out of the room, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.
The early winter snow had arrived.
Li Tian Gang obviously didn't care about the snowflakes, not bothering with an umbrella as he flew straight to Listening Rain Tower.
Inside Listening Rain Tower, the guards at the door immediately bowed in greeting upon seeing Li Tiangang.
Li Tiangang went straight to the seventh floor; his gaze swept the area but did not catch sight of his second uncle, which only fueled his anger.
He turned back downstairs and asked, "Where is the old man?"
"The old Marquis seems to have gone fishing."
"This servant does not know."
Li Tiangang was furious. Since childhood, he had heard that this second uncle was loose in discipline, not getting along with his father's brothers, and it was indeed the case.
The man's duty was to guard Listening Rain Tower, yet he was nowhere to be seen, and even when intending to find him, he couldn't be located.
Seeing his angry face, the guard became frightened and, as if thinking of something, hastily said, "My lord, this lowly one thinks he knows a place the old Marquis might go to."
"The young master mentioned it once, Blackwater Demon Lake, about two thousand li east of the city," the guard said respectfully.
Li Tiangang determined to set out at once, but suddenly, he furrowed his brows and said, "Why did that child mention this place to you?"
"The young master mentioned it casually. He often sends pastries to the old Marquis, and since the journey is long, the young master worries that the food container won't keep warm..."
Li Tiangang's expression immediately darkened: "Instead of properly cultivating, he sweet-talks and flatters others; no wonder the second uncle shields him so!"
With a sweep of his sleeves, he soared into the skies and in the blink of an eye, he was flying out of Qingzhou City.
Li Tiangang arrived at the edge of Blackwater Demon Lake; the vast expanse of the lake was boundless, with black waves crashing incessantly.
He surveyed the area and after a moment, he found a figure at one part of the lakeshore.
Li Tiangang flew straight toward it and descended.
The figure at the lake heard the noise and subconsciously turned around, "Hao..."
The smile had just appeared on his face when he saw Li Tiangang's stern expression and immediately snapped back to reality, his eyes dimming.
Despite the anger in his heart, Li Tiangang still bowed first upon landing, then approached and glanced at the lake, asking, "Are you here to fish?"
Fishing... Li Muxiu's face regained its cold detachment, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly; he was merely sitting here in silence.
"How did you know of this place, and what do you want from me?" Li Muxiu asked indifferently.
Seeing this, Li Tiangang also dispensed with the niceties and directly said, "Second uncle, I know you care about that child, but don't you realize you are harming him this way?"
Li Muxiu turned his head to look at him and said, "How am I harming your son?"
"You let your friend watch over Hao Er and protect him in secret; is this not the same as forcing me to truly sever ties with him?" Li Tiangang's voice contained anger.
Li Muxiu was slightly taken aback before it dawned on him.
When Li Hao left that day, he had noticed Feng Boping lurking in the shadows, who also communicated briefly with him about escorting Li Hao away.
Beyond expressing his gratitude, his feelings were extremely complex.
Without Feng Boping's support, perhaps the child might never have stepped through that threshold.
But, Feng Boping's willingness to support might be due to his inability to watch Hao Er suffer in front of his father.
When even outsiders could not bear to see it, what a failure it was.
Contemplating these things, Li Muxiu looked at the anger in Li Tiangang's eyes and could not help but let out a snort of laughter, saying:
"Now you are afraid, afraid of losing Hao Er? When you returned, I heard you even slapped Hao Er; why weren't you afraid then?"
"And after inquiring about the details these past days, wasn't it because that little girl was arrogant due to being spoiled and insulted Qingqing that Hao Er slapped her?"
"Is Hao Er wrong for defending his mother?!"
As he spoke, the calmness in him surged with emotion again, anger flashing in his eyes.
Li Tiangang's face changed slightly, at a loss for words.
He had also looked into this matter later; Li Mingguang, Li Wushuang, and others were present, corroborating this point.
Indeed, it was his eighth brother's daughter Li Rumeng who first brought up Qingqing with disrespectful remarks.
Regarding this, the eighth brother himself had slapped his own daughter, had a major argument with his wife that day, and since then, turmoil reigned in his household.
Li Tiangang could no longer blame or chastise anyone, and he felt some regret for that slap.
"Second uncle, I know I am not a competent father, but my goal is only to teach him well. I already regret not having kept him by my side to raise and care for these years," Li Tiangang continued, "But the child's temper, as you have seen, is like stone. If you allow your old friend to continue protecting him, he will never experience the harshness and hardships of the outside world."
Li Muxiu looked at him coldly, saying:
"He is your son, not your enemy; why do you insist on making him experience the hardships of the world?"
Li Tiangang was taken aback.
"I have no children of my own; if I did, I would wish to hold them and dote on them every day!" Li Muxiu said coldly, "Having children is not about making them endure the harshness and cruelty of the world, but about them feeling their parents' love. I couldn't do this in the past, which is why I never married or had children, as I didn't trust myself to be a good father. But looking at it now, you are far less worthy!"
Li Tiangang fell silent for a moment, then said, "Second uncle, you've never been a father; you don't understand my good intentions. I, too, want to treat him well, to make up for those years he spent alone, but there must be a limit to kindness!"
"How many sons of the battlefield are longed for by their mothers and wives, yet they lay buried on the field. He's lucky enough to have seen me return alive! But I will inevitably die one day, and if he does not grow up, how can he shoulder the responsibility of carrying forward the Li Family? Can he bear the legacy of our ancestors?"
Li Muxiu sneered and said, "How do you know he can't handle it if you don't try? Hao Er is not as weak as you think. You don't understand him at all; you have never truly cared about him!"
He raised his hand to catch the snowflake before him, and passed it to Li Tian Gang:
Li Tian Gang wanted to argue, but he was startled and said, "What?"
"I know," Li Tian Gang replied.
"Besides the day that child left, this is the second snowfall."
Li Muxiu looked at Li Tian Gang and said, "You drove him out of the Li Family when the first snow fell. Now, during this second snowfall, you come to question me why I let an old friend protect him. Ha, those unaware would think you and he are not father and son but rather sworn enemies with deep-seated hatred!"
He looked directly into Li Tian Gang's eyes and said softly, "I wonder if the first thing that came to your mind upon seeing this Falling Snow was whether that child was cold, and whether he could eat well and stay warm at the border."
Li Tian Gang's face slightly changed, and he clenched his fists tightly as he said in a low voice:
"With your old friend's protection, I presume his journey has been quite comfortable. The Demon Kings of the Four Stands Realm dare not invade, and with Li He there, Hong Zhuang also does not provide peace of mind, staying there to look after him."
"This child is showered with love by many. What's a bit of snow to him?"
Li Muxiu gazed at him and said, "Let's not mention that old friend of mine. The Li He you arranged should only act when the child is not facing a deadly situation, shouldn't he?"
"Certainly," Li Tian Gang said. "Otherwise, how will he learn to retreat in the face of difficulties?"
Li Muxiu took a deep breath, no longer wanting to continue the conversation, and said, "You should go back. Don't bother me again if it's not important."
Li Tian Gang immediately said, "If you would have your old friend come back and stop spoiling him, I would have no reason to seek you out."
Li Muxiu laughed coldly and said, "Do you really think that my old friend is looking after Hao Er just to please me?"
Li Tian Gang raised his eyebrows, saying, "Could it be, Uncle, that you're suggesting Hao Er has befriended your old friend? He is a strong being of the Four Stands Realm; who would care about him?"
Li Muxiu was furious, but he held back his words at the last moment.
It was inconvenient to reveal Feng Boping's identity, as it could cause more trouble than necessary.
Li Muxiu said coldly, "Rest assured, my old friend knows what he's doing. He doesn't intervene in ordinary situations, only if a Demon King from the Four Stands Realm crosses the border."
"A Demon King from the Four Stands Realm doesn't have the gall to invade," Li Tian Gang stated.
"What if they do?" Li Muxiu locked eyes with him.
Li Tian Gang's expression changed slightly, and suddenly he fell silent.
"The interrogation results for Liu Yue Rong must be out soon, right? You would be better off seeking justice for your son with all this energy you have. As for the matter of Divine Blood, do you truly believe that Hao Er slandered her out of nowhere?" Li Muxiu said coldly.
Li Tian Gang, thinking of this, flashed a look in his eyes but said nothing, simply bowed, turned, and flew away with a flick of his sleeve.
Li Muxiu watched as the other's figure disappeared, the coldness on his face dissipating as he sighed.
His gaze fell upon the Demon Lake before him, and then slowly, it moved to a depression at his side.
Not far from where Li Tian Gang had stood was the fishing platform where his son fished.
"Second Uncle, I've got another one on the hook!"
"Haha, Second Uncle, come see, it looks like a big one this time!"
"Second Uncle, it's cooked, come and eat!"
Li Muxiu's eyes rimmed with red as he realized deep down that with the child's character, he would likely never return again.
In Dayu State, the imperial holy city of the capital.
The civil and military officials stood on the sides of the dragon-skin long carpet, having reported the affairs of the various states, were now engaged in a fierce argument.
"Your Majesty, six days have passed; it's time for you to decide!"
"That Prince of Martial Punishment has just returned from victorious battles in Northern Yan, elevated to a third-rank duke. His son, spoiled by favor, has grown arrogant, relying on his unparalleled talent, he fought a great battle with the Prince of Martial Punishment. Father and son killing each other is completely contrary to natural laws and ethics!"
"If we do not severely punish him, it would merely corrupt public morals. If everyone were to follow suit, how would we uphold the duty and respect between sovereign and subject, parent and child!"
"Your Majesty, your servant believes there are underlying reasons for this matter. We still need to thoroughly investigate before making any hasty judgments,"
"It's said that the child possesses extraordinary talents, having reached the Heavenly Human Realm at only fourteen years old, even more fearsome than the ninth son of the Li Family in his day. It's inevitable he'd show some arrogance and recklessness, but he has already been chastised by King Xingwu, sent to guard Heavenly Gate Pass. That punishment is already severe enough!"
"That's just for show. I don't believe he wouldn't have someone secretly guard him. Hmph, if Heavenly Gate Pass were to fall, I'd like to see if his son could bear the responsibility!"
"To assign such a strategically crucial place to a child is utter nonsense. What if it were lost? Behind Heavenly Gate Pass lie billions of commoners in the Grand Liang State!"
"Those who are disrespectful deserve death!"
People argued fiercely, their views falling into two categories: one side believed in severe punishment, while the other thought there were mitigating factors worth investigating, or that it should be handled by the Li Family themselves, seeing it not as a matter of state but a private family affair.
Regardless of the viewpoint, each had its flaws ripe for rebuttal, so the debate went unresolved for several days.
Astride the dragon throne, the imposing Emperor Yu wore a gaze as inscrutable as the stars and moon, daunting any direct look.
As he heard the boisterous debate, the corner of his mouth curved slightly, reminiscing about the scene by Liu Shu Lake …
"That impertinent boy, such a fiery temper," Emperor Yu thought to himself.
His gaze swept across the room, landing on the quiet group of scholars on the other side, and he asked with interest,
"Members of the Hanlin Hall, what are your thoughts?"
When the Emperor spoke, the other debates ceased, and all eyes turned to the group of great scholars, with curiosity and puzzlement on their faces.
In such cases of impropriety in the past, these feeble scholars were always the first to protest, their sharp tongues even making them reluctant to engage.
After all, they were martial artists; in a battle of words, they were no match for those wielding pens.
Yet, on this occasion, these individuals were silent as bystanders, seemingly deaf to the arguments.
Fearing the Divine General Mansion? Fearing the Li Family?
That would be a spectacle indeed.
These fellows didn't hesitate to criticize even princes, so what was the Li Family to them, when each of the five divine families had faced their rebuke?
If not for their immeasurable contributions to history, which left them beyond reproach, they would have been silenced long ago.
Disregarding the proprieties is tantamount to killing the common people, a favored argument of these scholars. They persist in equating the two, much to the annoyance of those who care little for such trivialities.
Moreover, the Emperor held the Hanlin Hall in high esteem, and the status of civil officials within the court did not fall short of that of the military officers; in fact, their perceived weakness often garnered them greater protection from the Emperor.
While slaying demons was the duty of the martial artist, governing and bringing peace to the nation was the act of a civil servant.
This world is not solely plagued by demons; the hearts of the people can bring down great nations as well.
And in swaying the hearts of the people, civil officials excel!
"In response to Your Majesty, we believe that Li Hao, despite his youthful arrogance, is certainly not a wastrel indulging in arrogance. His aspirations are as boundless as the clouds spreading across ten thousand miles, and he bears a patriotic and sympathetic heart. Surely, there is a reason behind this conflict, and we hope Your Majesty will thoroughly investigate and render justice to this youth,"
After a pause, the Grand Preceptor of the Hanlin Hall stepped forward respectfully and spoke as their representative.
Upon hearing this, everyone in the court was taken aback.
Was this the same Hanlin Hall they knew?
Was this the same obstinate Grand Preceptor they were familiar with?
He must be under a spell!
"Grand Preceptor, are you aware of what you are saying?"
Before the Emperor could speak, a military governor from Liangzhou who had earlier argued for severe punishment stood out, exclaiming,
"A son wounding his father, no matter the reason, should not draw his sword against his own father, no? That's his own flesh and blood!"
"Indeed, if even this can be tolerated, what atrocities will they not commit in the future?" another person quickly chimed in.
The Emperor's lips curled into a faint smile momentarily before he composed himself, unnoticed as none dared keep their eyes fixed on him. Speaking impassively, he queried,
"Esteemed official, what evidence do you see for such praise?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, we certainly have evidence,"
The Grand Preceptor glanced disdainfully at the Liangzhou military governor, his eyes filled with contempt. Although a civil official himself, with the backing of Emperor Yu, not one of the martial artists dared lay a finger on him.
Besides, he understood why the opponent had proposed such vehement measures—it was because King Xingwu had dispatched Li Hao to Heavenly Gate Pass, raising fears that it might fall, and the invading demons would necessitate his being on the front lines to slay them.
"Oh? What evidence?" Emperor Yu inquired with interest.
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