At the end of Dragon Pass Road, is Cangya City.
Heavenly Gate Pass is outside the city.
Cangya City, built against a cliff, is expansive. Its city walls are towering and sturdy, reaching into the clouds.
Inside are magnificent towers, arrow towers, and bustling residential districts. The city is extremely lively and prosperous, and it is also Grand Liang State’s border trading post with Northern Cold Country, with heavy traffic of horses and carriages.
But that was eight hundred years ago.
Now,
there is only a small mound left.
The mound is inscribed with the characters “Cangya”; this is now the city.
A sea of military tents surrounds the mound, firmly ensconced around it as the center.
On the perimeter of the tents, several battle flags are planted.
The flags flutter in the cold, whistling wind, bearing the ancient characters “Heavenly Origin.”
These are the flags of the Li Family.
The five great Divine General Mansions, each with its own title, such as the Wang Family’s Tianzhao Divine General Mansion, and the Li Family’s is the Heavenly Origin Divine General Mansion.
At this moment, a cold wind howls, and dust rolls across the land.
At the edge of a cliff behind the military tents, there are graves of varying sizes, with shabby, wooden, carved tablets inserted haphazardly. They serve as both headstones and markers for those buried beneath.
Chink, chink.
Nearby, several soldiers in damaged armor are digging holes with iron shovels.
Soon, a few more arrive with a stretcher, which carries a hand, a mangled thigh, torn armor, and a dented helmet.
Once the holes are ready, they place these remnants inside and then fill them with sand.
Afterward, they find a tree, cut a piece off, split it into a wooden tablet, and use their fingers to etch a few words before planting it atop the grave.
On some stretchers, there are only a few fingers and fallen boots.
These too are buried, and the wooden tablet is inscribed with the words:
Li Family soldiers.
The cold wind silently sweeps in, blowing through the military tents, weaving through the gaps between them, squeezing out sobs of lamentation.
Li Hongzhuang, clad in bright red armor, stands silently in front of the graves, her face expressionless.
Most of the wooden tablets here bear no names because the battles with the demons have been too fierce, and preserving a whole body is already quite difficult.
After the new graves are all properly filled in, she extends her hand, and a deputy offers her a jug of strong liquor.
With a flick of her finger, she kicks out the cork and pours the alcohol over these graves.
The last mouthful, she drinks herself.
Thus, she shared a drink with these brave soldiers.
Without giving another glance, she turns and leaves.
She has been doing this for twenty years, and for twenty years, she has witnessed this scene.
From the deputy who passed her liquor to now commanding the army.
Because the third brother and the sixth brother who once helped her with the liquor have both fallen in succession.
So, although a woman, she still chose to step forward.
To hold up the sky for Grand Liang State!
Li Hongzhuang is the youngest daughter of Li Tianzong. She has nine brothers renowned throughout the world, each extraordinary and revered by all. Among them, the most prodigious was Li Junye.
But he also died over a decade ago.
At that time, she was stationed at the Frontier Pass and could not leave her post, so she could not attend the funeral of the ninth brother whom she played with in the courtyard since childhood. Her tears could only fall on this battlefield.
She still remembers her father saying that when naming her, he hoped she would find a good family to marry into.
To then raise children and take up scholarly pursuits instead of the sword.
To be spared the hardship of slaying demons.
But since childhood, seeing the wounds on the soldiers who came back to report military news and the empty tablets in the ancestral shrine, she knew she could not abandon her sword.
So she trained diligently, taking a master and learning Peerless Techniques.
Later, she descended the mountain to join the worldly affairs, wielding her three-foot-long blade to slay the millions of demons outside the Pass.
Here, she has been fighting continuously for twenty years!
Twenty years of harsh weather and battle have left her once delicate skin as rough as sandpaper.
Her once-flowing hair, now pinned under her helmet, has long since been soaked with blood from fights with demons and grease, becoming dirty and smelling faintly of blood.
These are things women find hardest to tolerate, but she has become accustomed to them.
Aside from her appearance, which remains as stunningly beautiful as ever, nothing else has changed.
But her once gentle and clear eyes have turned as cold and sharp as the stars of winter.
“Commander, the tally is complete, 28 demons slain, seven dead, twelve injured,”
another deputy reports as he approaches Li Hongzhuang.
Li Hongzhuang is expressionless. She had witnessed the earlier battle and already had a rough understanding of the casualties. She simply says:
“The family sent a letter saying that reinforcements will arrive soon. Once they do, we are to withdraw and rotate out.”
“Have there been any reports on the whereabouts of the reinforcements?”
The deputy shakes his head slightly, about to speak when suddenly, a horn sounds from outside the military tents.
Both of their expressions change, and they move swiftly, leaping into the air.
From their vantage point in the sky, they see a few dots approaching from the direction of Dragon Pass Road. As they draw closer, they make out a young man and woman, along with a white fox.
“How could there be people coming from Dragon Pass Road?”
Both are taken aback and quickly fly toward them.
They are stationed at Heavenly Gate Pass, which has received some reinforcements over the years, but not many. It seems there has been some intention to abandon Heavenly Gate Pass.
Dragon Pass Road, however, has long been lost to the demons.
Even the troops that came to reinforce usually took a detour around Dragon Pass Road. Some were already lost in the sands of Dragon Pass Road, suffering heavy losses.
“A military camp?”
At this moment, Li Hao and Ren Qianqian approached, both with puzzled expressions on their faces.
They had assumed they would find Cangya City at the end of their journey, but instead, they saw military tents everywhere, the ground riddled with pits and cracks, some unprocessed demon corpses, and tattered military flags. It was, unexpectedly, a gruesome battlefield.
Li Hao then heard the sound of bugles and saw two figures descending from the sky.
“Who are you?”
Li Hongzhuang looked at the young man before her, feeling that his features seemed somewhat familiar, and frowned in confusion.
Li Hao was about to speak, but then fell silent.
He had said he would no longer carry the Li surname. How should he introduce himself?
His gaze was a bit lost, but he quickly thought of a name and said, “My surname is Ji. You can call me Ji Hao. I am here to relieve you as reinforcements.”
“Ji Hao?”
Li Hongzhuang and the deputy had never heard this name, but upon hearing Li Hao’s next words, joy filled their hearts. They looked past Li Hao to the distance behind him:
“Where are the others?”
The two were confused to see nothing behind Li Hao.
“I am the one,” said Li Hao.
The two were stunned, their excitement immediately deflated as they looked at Li Hao, “Just you?”
“Not just me,”
Li Hao continued, “This is my sword attendant, and this one is my little companion. The three of us.”
As for Feng, he had already concealed himself nearby and was the reason Li Hao dared to come to Heavenly Gate Pass. However, he could not reveal himself to the people before him.
Feng’s identity was looked down upon and spurned by the world, a sensitive matter. Only his private dealings with the second master and him were known to no one else. Otherwise, it would have caused a great stir.
“…”
Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, Li Hongzhuang and the deputy were dumbfounded, their weathered, numb faces showing a hint of astonishment.
Looking around again, indeed, there were no other presences.
Just this young man?
Reinforcements?
Li Hongzhuang exclaimed in anger, “Are you joking?”
After waiting for so long, longing for so long, all they get is a teenager. Rage flared in her heart.
Li Hao shook his head and said earnestly, “Not at all. I truly am here to take over. For the next three years, I will be guarding this place, until I die.”
“You think you can guard for three years?”
Li Hongzhuang was so angry she almost laughed. One person guarding a solitary city, even she wouldn’t dare make such a claim!
Miss Hongzhuang might really be insane!”
Li Hongzhuang no longer paid attention to Li Hao and instead said to the deputy, “Send a message back on horseback and inquire what Li Tiangang means by this. Is he truly ready to abandon us, or does he have another intent?”
The deputy acknowledged and was about to leave.
Suddenly, a figure swooped in and landed in front of them.
It was an old man wearing battle armor, his hair gray and his gaze steady and contained.
He first glanced at Li Hao, then bowed to Li Hongzhuang, saying, “Miss.”
Li Hongzhuang felt the same Immortal energy emanating from the man and looked closely, yet she could not recognize who he was.
The deputy beside her seemed to have recognized him and exclaimed, “Are you General Li He?”
“Li He?”
Upon hearing the name, Li Hongzhuang pondered briefly, then her face showed surprise. Li He had already made a name for himself outside when she was still a child training in the martial fields.
He was of the older generation of the Li Family, a peer of her second uncle and others.
But he was born to a concubine.
In that generation of children from concubines, Li He was one of the outstanding few.
“Miss Hongzhuang, may I have a word with you in private?” Li He said.
Li Hongzhuang was slightly perplexed, but she still followed him as they flew off to the side.
Li Hao and the deputy remained where they were.
Li Hao wasn’t surprised by the sudden appearance of the elderly man. Although it was their first close encounter, he had been followed by the other party all the way from Qingzhou, for five days already.
According to what Feng mentioned, this was most likely a person sent by Li Tian Gang to secretly protect him.
Li Hao felt nothing about this.
On the road, most of the demons were dealt with by Feng and himself. Once his injuries healed, demons below the Immortal Realm wouldn’t require Feng’s intervention.
At this moment, while the other party was having a private chat with that young aunt, Li Hao also asked the deputy:
“Isn’t Cangya City at the end of Dragon Pass Road? How long will it take to get there?”
The deputy spoke gravely, “The place where you are standing now is Cangya City.”
“Hm?”
Li Hao was stunned and looked at him in surprise.
Then he looked around. Where was the city?
“With hundreds of years of warfare and frequent fierce attacks by demons, Cangya City has been weather-worn and has sustained too many serious damages. It no longer has the strength to repair the city walls or to rebuild the enchanted patterns; the entire city has been obliterated.”
The deputy said, “Now only that place remains, which can be considered a city, and it’s also where we stand guard.”
With that, he pointed to a small mound not far away.
Li Hao looked over and was taken aback.
The small mound was only a few meters high and could be easily crumbled with a slap.
This was… Cangya City?
He was aware of the bitter warfare at the Frontier Pass, but he hadn’t imagined it to be this dire.
An entire city had been forcefully reduced to flat ground.
“So you’re saying, when you’re stationed here with nothing to shield yourselves, you just withstand the demon attacks?” Li Hao asked.
The deputy, with an emotionless face, replied, “The only wall we have are our bodies.”
“…”
Upon hearing this, Li Hao fell silent and said no more.
Before long, Li Hongzhuang and Li He both returned.
Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao with a complex expression, saying, “So you’re actually Hao Er!”
Li Hao glanced at the elderly Li He, guessing that he must have told this young aunt about the matter.
“It’s me. Now you believe it, right? You can withdraw your troops now.”
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes were complex and filled with sorrow as she said, “How could Seventh Uncle be so heartless? It was only a minor disagreement. Why did it turn out like this? What about Fifth Uncle, Second Uncle, and my eldest sister-in-law? Don’t they care?”
Li Hao shook his head slightly, not wishing to bring up these matters again.
“Hao Er, you’re too impulsive. You should hurry back, or you’ll die if you stay here!” Li Hongzhuang said.
No wonder she felt a resemblance to the young man earlier; although it was their first encounter, she did not want to see her nephew act foolishly.
“It’s alright.”
Li Hao gave a faint smile and said, “Dying here, I can at least be considered a martyr. Dying elsewhere, I would be nothing.”
“Why are you so stubborn, child? Your father wouldn’t actually kill you.” Li Hongzhuang said with a sorrowful face.
Li Hao shook his head and replied, “Aunt, it’s getting late. You should retreat as soon as possible. I heard these soldiers have been defending this place for many years; they should go back and see their wives, children, and mothers.”
Upon hearing this, the deputy beside him trembled, and his numb, cracked face seemed slightly moist.
Li Hongzhuang fell silent for a moment, then shook her head, “Others may retreat, but I won’t.”
She looked up at the small mound behind her. Although it could no longer be considered a city,
This was the place her third and sixth brothers had defended with their lives.
She wanted to fight here until the last moment of her life.
“The heroic spirits of the soldiers here still need someone to accompany them.”
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes were sharp and earnest as she slowly said, “I was planning to stay and continue the fight with the reinforcements once they arrived, but since it’s only you now, aunt will stay here and fight the demons with you. We’ll kill as many as we can!
“This is the land of the Dayu Dynasty, and the place our Li Family has guarded for many years.”
“Unless by imperial decree, we shall not yield a single inch!”
Her gaze emitted a sharp glint, and her female figure stood tall like a great wall.
The news of the troop withdrawal spread, and many soldiers who had been desperately resting and healing in their tents stumbled out in a daze.
Only when several lieutenants loudly and repeatedly announced did a semblance of life begin to emerge on their numb faces, followed by an outpouring of mournful wails and sobs.
Many soldiers held their heads and wept bitterly, while others ran straight to the mass graves, found their former comrades-in-arms, laughed and cried, and then scooped up a handful of the yellow earth in front of the graves to hide in their armor to take home.
“Reporting to the commander!”
“The entire Bloodsha Army of the Red Character Camp, which numbered one hundred thousand, is now down to nine thousand six hundred and twenty-three, all have regrouped!”
“Awaiting your orders!!”
A middle-aged lieutenant, a collateral member of the Li Family, came before Li Hongzhuang, his voice hoarse but resolute as he spoke.
His eyes, however, were already moist.
Li Hongzhuang’s face, as pale as the moon, trembled slightly, and her gaze swept over the vice general before her to the faces behind him—haggard, pale, yet filled with tears of hope.
Finally, her gaze settled on the distant mass graves.
The remaining ninety thousand had already been laid to rest here.
They were troops she had personally trained one by one!
The vast expanse of graves held not just ninety thousand, but also those from the battalions led by her third and sixth brothers, buried in this land as far as the eye could see.
Even the normally stoic Li Hongzhuang couldn’t help but feel her eyes reddening at this moment.
She controlled her emotions, took a deep breath, and shouted, “I hereby declare, the Bloodsha Army begins its journey home today!!”
The phrase “going home” lingered in the ears of nine thousand six hundred and thirty-two soldiers, tears swelling in their eyes.
“All of the Bloodsha Army, received!!”
The three lieutenants, along with all soldiers, roared in unison.
By all, they included the souls of the more than ninety thousand buried here, whose spirits they would bring home as well.
Finally, they could embark on the journey back home…
Amidst the excited and tearful voices, a lieutenant stepped forward, bowed to Li Hongzhuang, and then asked, “Commander, what about our reinforcements?”
“Reinforcements…”
Li Hongzhuang turned to Li Hao beside her and said, “He is here to replace you as reinforcements.”
The lieutenant looked at Li Hao, his body trembling.
Were they really being replaced by this child?
“Commander, this…”
“No more questions, go on, go home early. It’s hard to travel when it gets dark,” Li Hongzhuang said, her expression returning to stern and indifferent.
Seeing this, the lieutenant dared not say more. He nodded, took another look at Li Hao to imprint the young man’s appearance in his memory.
The conversation between the two was overheard by the other soldiers, who, after their initial excitement, were shocked. They were all retreating, and this place was being left to a child?
Many soldiers, anxious, cried out for an explanation; others said that if that was the case, they would stay as well.
But Li Hongzhuang just kept a cold face and did not respond. Under the shouting of several lieutenants, everyone was eventually sent away to gather their armor and equipment and then set off for home.
Li Hao silently watched as the soldiers passed by, smelling the dust on these veterans and the strong scent of blood.
The little white fox crouched at his feet, very well-behaved.
Ren Qianqian, on the other hand, held her sword and stood quietly behind Li Hao. The young girl, seeing the scars, the damaged armor, and the bent blades of these soldiers, felt her heart quake and tremble, her eyes reddening.
“Commander, aren’t you leaving?”
Another deputy looked at Li Hongzhuang and couldn’t help but ask.
Li Hongzhuang shook her head slightly, “You all go first, I’ll come later, no need to wait for me.”
She knew that if she said she would stay here, more than half of these soldiers would also want to stay with her, even if she tried to drive them away.
After all, they had fought side by side for years, how could they easily speak of abandonment.
Hearing these words, the deputy hesitated, then glanced at Li Hao, still unable to understand why someone who appeared to be a wealthy young master had been sent here as reinforcements, to guard this lonely wasteland city.
But without Li Hongzhuang’s explanation, they could not guess the reasons. Military orders were like mountains; they could only be executed.
As over nine thousand people left, the camp suddenly became tranquil and empty.
Only Li Hongzhuang, Li Hao, Ren Qianqian, and a little fox remained.
Li He’s whereabouts were unknown. He had told Li Hongzhuang privately that he would only take action in secret, and would only do so if Li Hao’s life was in danger, and not for anything else.
Li Hongzhuang had nothing to say to that.
She had learned of Li Hao and his seventh brother’s matters through Li He, but as she had not been directly involved, she didn’t know the specifics.
Her only thought was to defend this lonely city.
Besides explaining Li Hao’s situation, Li He also conveyed a message to her.
That was, with smoke and fire rising everywhere in Dayu, and demons causing chaos in various places, Emperor Yu was already considering temporarily abandoning and setting aside Heavenly Gate Pass.
They would reclaim it when Dayu regained its might in the future.
Thus, if this place were to fall, they would not blame anyone, and if there were any punishments to be made, Li Tian Gang would bear them.
Since Li Tian Gang had made great contributions in Northern Yan, at most he would receive a reprimand, have some of his salary docked; the so-called punishment was nothing more than a show for other officials.
In other words, this place had already become an area that was forsaken.
There would be no more reinforcements coming!
Li He had informed her that Li Hongzhuang could leave at any time and should not lose her life here.
But leaving?
Li Hongzhuang looked at the dark expanse of tombs, before her eyes were the scenes of her third brother and sixth brother who had once drunk and fought here, sacrificing their lives, and every inch of this territory was stained with the blood of their soldiers!
Emperor Yu wanted to abandon it, her seventh brother wanted to abandon it, but… she did not want to abandon it!!
Li Hongzhuang took a deep breath, reigned in her emotions, and walked into the camp.
Although those soldiers had left, some tents had not been completely taken down, and were left here to serve as a decoy, making the demons believe they had a larger force.
“Find any tent you like, the conditions here are poor. Ever since the city was breached, there have been no civilians here, they were all relocated more than a decade ago.”
Li Hongzhuang casually said to Li Hao, then walked straight into the camp.
Li Hao nodded, looked around, and then saw in the distance the uneven mounds of graves.
He led Ren Qianqian and the little white fox over, his gaze sweeping over, the names or unified titles engraved on wooden plaques.
The cold wind blew, giving Li Hao a bone-chilling sensation.
“Are these… all heroes who died in battle here?” Ren Qianqian’s pretty face paled; she covered her mouth slightly and said with a tremble.
With her own eyes, she saw not just a hundred thousand but countless tombs; the shock was indescribable.
The little white fox that liked to jump around everywhere was also motionless, sitting quietly at Li Hao’s feet, silently watching.
Li Hao fell into silence for a while.
He came here just to repay a debt of his own flesh and blood.
Once three years were up, the debt would be repaid.
However, looking at the numerous soldiers here, he suddenly felt that besides repaying the debt of flesh and blood, there might be another meaning to coming here.
During these three years, it seemed… he should do something else.
It’s a pity that his cultivation level is still too weak.
At the Celestial Master Realm, one could establish a sect within the realm, but in this perilous Frontier Pass, one could perish at any moment, and he still needed Feng’s secret protection.
Only by reaching the Three Immortal Realms would he have the power to protect himself.
“My cultivation is improving too slowly…” Li Hao’s eyes deepened.
Although entering the Heavenly Human Realm at fourteen was shockingly prodigious, for his current situation, it was still not enough.
He needed to become stronger and improve quicker!
Li Hao took a deep breath, left the graveyard, and came to the camp.
He searched the other tents but couldn’t find any food or drink. As he walked by, he saw the figure of Li Hongzhuang sitting on a small mound marked “Cangya City,” wiping her sword’s edge.
“Elder Hongzhuang.”
Li Hao called out and walked over.
Li Hongzhuang slightly raised her eyebrows and looked at the approaching youth, frowning, “You should call me aunt.”
“I’m no longer a member of the Li Family,” Li Hao said.
Li Hongzhuang thought of Li He’s words, her expression darkened slightly, and she asked, “Why has it turned out this way?”
Li Hao shook his head slightly, not wanting to bring it up, and asked, “It’s almost night, are you hungry? I’ll go find something to eat.”
“Night is approaching, and demons roam about. It’s best if you don’t leave on your own,” Li Hongzhuang said. She knew that Li He would protect Li Hao in the shadows, but she did not want Li Hao to recklessly brave danger.
Li Hao looked up to see the moon rising and the stars beginning to shine.
He smiled faintly, turned away from the small mound, and, leading Ren Qianqian and the little white fox, he aimlessly strolled through the camp, weaving in and out of the tents.
The tents were tidied up cleanly, but some broken armor and rotten smelly clothes were left behind. Li Hao found a cooking area, where he rummaged and found some cans of salt.
With a smile, he summoned his Divine Soul, roaming in all directions, and soon found a demon beast in the wilderness around the camp.
He bent down to pick up a broken blade fragment from the ground and tossed it like skipping a stone.
The shard flew out, piercing through the air instantly, appearing thirty li away, and with a thrust, it pierced accurately through the brain of the demon beast.
The beast’s body trembled twice and then lost its life.
Using the power of object manipulation, Li Hao drew its corpse over.
This was a demon beast weighing about three tons, resembling a pig or a lion with protruding tusks.
Li Hao took Ren Qianqian’s spare sword, used it as a butcher knife, and quickly processed the creature’s insides, then cut it into pieces.
“Qianqian, help with lighting a fire.”
“Okay.”
Over the days of their journey, Ren Qianqian had grown accustomed to assisting Li Hao. She nodded, found some firewood around, and soon started a bonfire.
Li Hao had already prepared the demon beast by then, selecting the best parts and using sharpened sticks or broken spears from the ground to skewer the meat and roast it over the fire.
With salt and seasonings, Li Hao kept the cooking simple, but as the sizzling fat from the roasting meat dripped down, a delicious fragrance wafted through the air.
While the demon meat was roasting, Li Hao went to a tent.
He examined the black and yellow patterned tent for a moment, packed it away, then used his sword to cut it, trimming it into several neat pieces of cloth.
He then made a brush from the demon beast’s fur and, using its blood as ink, began to paint on the cloth.
“What are you doing?”
Li Hongzhuang, lured by the scent, had walked down from the mound and silently approached the bonfire. She unexpectedly asked Li Hao, who was busying himself with his task.
Li Hao looked up at her, smiled, and said, “Your Bloodsha Army has withdrawn, along with the military flags. I’m crafting a new war banner.”
“Not all of my flags were taken; some were left here,” Li Hongzhuang said.
Li Hao smiled faintly, “Those are yours. This war banner is mine.”
“Oh?”
Li Hongzhuang looked puzzled.
By that time, Li Hao had also finished writing. He released his power, drying the blood on the cloth, then beckoned with his hand, extending his power to manipulate objects several li into the forest, cutting down several trees and drawing them forth.
The trees were quickly whittled into poles.
Li Hao wrapped them with excess cloth at one end, binding them there, and planted the other end into the ground, erecting them.
Thus, a makeshift war banner was created.
The cloth hung down, fluttering in the night wind.
Two large characters written in demon beast’s blood swayed and revealed themselves:
Haotian!
Li Hongzhuang stood there stunned for a while, then looked towards Li Hao, “Are you really of the Fifteen Li Realm?”
Li Hao shook his head slightly.
“I’m in the Heavenly Human Realm,” he said truthfully.
“?”
Li Hongzhuang’s pupils constricted slightly, and she froze on the spot.
Heavenly Human Realm?
Li He had not informed her of Li Hao’s cultivation, only of some incidents in the household.
She, spending most of her time at the Frontier Pass and largely cut off from the news within the realm, was busy guarding against demons every day, with little care for the affairs within the realm.
Fourteen years old and already in the Heavenly Human Realm?
Li Hongzhuang still remembered the year and month when Li Hao was born, which was also the year her ninth brother died in battle.
It had been fourteen years since then.
Li Hongzhuang also remembered that even a prodigy like Li Junye was seventeen before he stepped into the Celestial Master Realm.
And now, the youth before her had achieved it at just fourteen.
A full three years ahead!
“With such talent, you must be the True Dragon of the Li Family’s generation, right?” Li Hongzhuang came back to her senses and couldn’t help but ask.
Such a treasure, and they left him outside the Heavenly Gate Pass?
What was her seventh brother thinking?
True Dragon… Li Hao’s lips curled slightly as he smiled and said,
“Talent is just that, nothing to be amazed by. The Li Family’s True Dragon isn’t anything remarkable. It’s only when you have genuine and solid strength that you’re truly noteworthy.”
Li Hongzhuang spoke speechlessly, “That’s easy for you to say when you’re not lacking anything. What do you mean ‘talent is just that’? It’s easy to dismiss talent while standing on the sidelines. Reaching the Fifteen Li Realm might indeed be a result of talent and clan cultivation, but reaching the Heavenly Human Realm isn’t something that can be easily explained by talent alone.”
“It requires a one-in-ten-thousand kind of enlightenment and realization!”
“One in ten thousand isn’t much,” Li Hao said indifferently.
“Among the sons of the Li Family, having talent that is one in ten thousand isn’t surprising, but your kind of unprecedented and peerless talent might be one in billions among the warriors of Dayu spanning a thousand years!” Li Hongzhuang couldn’t help but say.
Li Hao slightly shook his head, no longer wishing to discuss this matter with her. He simply waved the simple banner in his hand and said,
“How does this look?”
“Not that great,”
Li Hongzhuang commented after a glance, speaking truthfully.
Li Hao laughed, acknowledging that it was indeed haphazardly made from tent fabric, and certainly not impressive or refined.
Yet, he hoped that even so, this banner would still deter the demons.
Li Hongzhuang looked at the meat roasting on the grill and said, “I’ve eaten Lion Hoof Demon before; it didn’t use to taste this good.”
“That’s because it wasn’t made by me.”
Li Hao said with a smile, his eyes showing the earnestness and confidence of a chef.
Li Hongzhuang gave him a glance but didn’t say anything. She just gazed at the flickering campfire, and in those numbed, indifferent eyes accustomed to battle, a glint of light seemed to emerge.
[Cooking Skill Experience +182]
[Cooking Skill Experience is full, please upgrade as soon as possible.]
The cooking ended, and two notifications flashed before Li Hao’s eyes, a common occurrence for him now.
Cooking was his only artistic skill currently at the Sixth Stage.
But the experience was already full, and only with a spiritual awakening of the mind could he advance to the Seventh Stage.
However, he had yet to find the method to such an awakening.
This was different from the need for sufficient focus and passion to reach the Third Stage. Simply being willfully fond was enough then.
It also required a certain level of detachment, similar to establishing a core as a Grandmaster.
But in life, it’s easy to talk about likes; detachment, however, is more difficult.
Li Hao was still exploring the path of transcending in the art of cooking.
He had previously checked the tents in each camp. As expected of a frontier outpost, there were no chessboards, no paper for painting, and even the few inkstones and brushes to be found seemed to be kept for recording military intelligence and sending messages.
At the moment, he possessed six different artistic skills:
Chess Tao at the Fifth Stage, Art of Painting at the Fifth Stage, and Fishing Tao at the Fifth Stage.
As well as Poetry and Books at the Third Stage, Musical Rhythm at the Third Stage, and Cooking at the Sixth Stage.
Without reaching a state of transcendence and spiritual awakening, his Physical Body Path and swordsmanship were also stuck at the Sixth Stage, unable to advance further.
The immediate task was to condense an art form to the point of transcendence and spiritual awakening to reach the Seventh Stage.
Li Hao thought it over, and given the rudimentary conditions here, Chess Tao and Art of Painting could only be put on hold for now. Aside from Cooking, Fishing was the most suitable skill to attempt a breakthrough.
After reaching the Fifteen Li Realm, Li Hao no longer depended on a fishing rod to fish.
With a rod, he could only catch small demons in the Power Passage Realm or Zhou Tian Realm.
Great Demons were very difficult to hook, unless it was truly an unexpected catch…
Without a fishing rod or line, Li Hao could, like Li Muxiu, condense his own energy into a line to fish in all directions.
It wasn’t necessary to have a lake to be considered fishing.
Mountains, wilderness, anywhere where creatures could be caught could accumulate fishing experience.
Just as children might use hooks to catch frogs in the fields or entice eels from their burrows, it too is a form of fishing.
What is fishing?
To lie in wait and strike!
Li Hao also considered learning new artistic skills, like carving.
But he currently lacked not for skill points, and besides, carving until the Third Stage would still require a passion of the heart to advance further, which would take some time.
In this dangerous borderland, he had to quickly elevate himself to the Immortal Realm to ensure he had the strength to fight alone!
At that moment, the roasted meat was ready.
Li Hao’s thoughts returned as he took off the cooked meat, first handing a portion to Li Hongzhuang.
He then sliced off pieces to give to Ren Qianqian and the little white fox before finally picking up a piece and starting to eat himself.
Li Hongzhuang took it, thanked him briefly, and proceeded to cut it up neatly with her own dagger, skewering a piece with the tip and putting it in her mouth.
“Hmm?”
There was a noticeable pause in Li Hongzhuang’s chewing, followed by a faster pace.
“Not bad.”
She nodded slightly, her expression mildly approving, but her eyes revealed satisfaction.
Li Hao smiled and, while eating, asked, “Do you really intend to stay and defend this place to the death?”
Perhaps due to many years in the military, Li Hongzhuang’s behavior and posture were quite manly, and even her sitting position betrayed none of the genteel grace she’d displayed in childhood, aside from sword practice, when she would sit and stitch peonies with a graceful charm.
She tore off a piece of sinew casually and said, “Defending to the death is a stretch; I’m just accompanying these brothers a bit further on their journey, and incidentally, I’ll slay some more demons. Without reinforcements, this place will eventually fall. It’s just a matter of how many I can take down.”
As she spoke, a sharp glint of harsh coldness inadvertently flashed in her eyes.
Li Hao nodded, said no more, and lowered his head to finish his own portion of meat.
After filling his stomach, he took another portion, wrapped it in leaves, and set it aside for Feng. He then got up, patted his behind, picked up the several rough banners he had made, and headed out of the camp.
Along the way, the war banners were planted at the edges of the campsite.
There were four in total, each placed in a broad angle.
The banners, though made from the camp’s materials, bore strong and powerful characters, after all, he was of the “Poetry and Books” third stage.
Li Hao looked over at them and smiled, in comparison to the Bloodsha Army’s banners planted here, they indeed seemed a bit desolate.
After the banners were in place, Li Hao returned to the campfire. He took out some papers he had collected from the various tents, as well as his pen, ink, and inkstone, and began recording them one by one.
“What are you doing?” Li Hongzhuang asked when she saw him, “Are you writing home?”
Li Hao shook his head slightly. To whom would he send a family letter? The world was his home, and at this moment, this place was his home.
“These are the cultivation techniques of Listening Rain Tower.”
“You intend to record the cultivation techniques?”
“Mhm, record them, and then return them to the Li Family.”
Li Hao said with a smile, his expression, however, remained very calm.
Li Hongzhuang thought of the matter between Li Hao and Li Tian Gang and her face slightly changed, “Do you really intend to completely sever ties with the family? Blood connections cannot be cut!”
“There is nothing that cannot be severed.”
Li Hao’s eyes narrowed, and his tone grew colder, “Perhaps it’s just that your sword isn’t sharp enough.”
Li Hongzhuang picked up on the sting in Li Hao’s words and raised her eyebrows, but she did not take issue with him.
She understood that this child had just run away from home and was likely harboring great resentment in his heart.
“But do you think that by recording the cultivation techniques, you will have returned them?” Li Hongzhuang said.
Li Hao responded indifferently, “The techniques I return are all the original advanced versions, more than sufficient as compensation.”
Indeed, he intended to write down the deeper levels of understanding of the cultivation techniques he had realized and return them to the Li Family.
Even though by doing so the Li Family would profit immensely, he did not bother to quibble over the matter.
It was enough if he could sever the ties.
“Oh?”
Li Hongzhuang was astonished and asked, “How many have you cultivated?”
Advancing cultivation techniques requires tremendous energy and effort. If it were one or two techniques, it would be feasible, but if there were many, could he really enhance all of them to an advanced level?
How much energy and time would that take?
“Dozens, I suppose,” said Li Hao offhandedly.
He had already started writing the first technique.
Stone Skin Hundred Refinements—Advanced version “Golden Skin Hundred Refinements”
The original low-grade technique, under the promotion of his sixth stage Physical Body Path, had evolved into a high-grade technique, strong enough to refine the body to be as tough as metal.
Although he was at the same Grandmaster Realm as others, Li Hao’s body, through these body refining techniques, was more than ten times stronger than an ordinary grandmaster.
Moreover, Li Hao wrote down the profundity of the technique: Golden Skin Hundred Refinements • Vajra!
It could burst forth instantaneously, increasing the body’s defensive power several times over.
If only for a short while, its effect could be considered a semi-Immortal “Indestructible Realm” defense.
Should he reach the Indestructible Realm and then use the Vajra profundity, the defense would be even more formidable.
This profundity was not included in Stone Skin Hundred Refinements, so he did not consider it breaking his word about using techniques from the Li Family.
As for the enhancements brought to his body by Stone Skin Hundred Refinements and many other body refining techniques, he could not discard them, so instead, he used this more generous gesture as compensation.
“Dozens?” When Li Hongzhuang heard Li Hao’s words, she couldn’t help but pause.
She looked at Li Hao’s face, solemn and serious in the light of the campfire, not seeming to joke.
She was a bit dazed, at the age of fourteen he had cultivated to the Heavenly Human Realm and mastered dozens of techniques?
In the years she had been away from the family, what kind of monster had the Li Family cultivated!
Suddenly, Li Hongzhuang’s face changed, and she abruptly turned her head to look outside the camp.
In the darkness of the night, there seemed to be clouds of darkness swaying, like shadows shaking in the woods.
“It looks like they know we have retreated.”
Murder flashed in Li Hongzhuang’s eyes, and she grasped the hilt of the sword beside her.
Li Hao also lifted his head and stopped writing.
The wind carried a foul smell, that of demons.
“Stay here, I’ll be right back,” Li Hongzhuang said as she got up and headed into the shadows.
But Li Hao did not truly intend to wait here. His divine soul flew out from behind him, and in its vision, the night was as clear as day.
He saw the figures of demons rushing toward the camp from the forests tens of miles away. The surging waves of the hidden current spread through the bushes and over the rocks, closing in silently.
There were not a few in number.
Li Hao immediately put away his pen and the papers recording the cultivation techniques, handing them to Ren Qianqian, “Take care of these for me.”
Having already turned pale upon hearing Li Hongzhuang’s words, Ren Qianqian said nervously, “Young master, are you going as well?”
“Stay here, Feng will watch over you in secret.”
Li Hao glanced at the leaves wrapped up meat, “Besides, he hasn’t had his dinner yet.”
Smiling at the young girl, Li Hao then patted the little white fox’s head and moved forward.
As he walked, he raised his hand slightly and broken short swords from all around began gathering towards him.
He grabbed one of the less damaged swords in his hand, and the rest followed his figure forward.
“Li Hongzhuang!!”
“The army has retreated, and you still dare to stay behind – do you want to be buried with your soldiers?”
“They are all in my stomach, come and get them!”
Outside the campsite, a roar, like a tiger’s bellow, erupted, revealing ferocious delight and a vicious atmosphere.
Clearly, the chance to catch them was a delightful opportunity for it.
“Chi Hu Jun!”
Li Hongzhuang, clad in bright red armor and wielding a three-foot sword blade, stepped beyond the camp, her gorgeous face revealing an icy resolve:
“You escaped last time, but I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Haha, did you think I would come alone? Feipeng, come out and meet this iron lady!”
From the darkness, a huge tiger demon wrapped in chains appeared, a ferocious expression on its face.
