The crowd was also astonished, although their proposal for punishment came with their own thoughts, even the ministers close to the Li Family who argued with them would at most excuse Li Hao on the grounds that he was young and ignorant, spoiled by favor into arrogance, and inevitably frivolous.
Where did this ambition as soaring as the clouds and patriotic concern for the people come from?
It was not easy to make these rotting pedantic scholars utter such praise.
The Grand Tutor said respectfully, “Your Majesty, some days ago, one of my students hurried back from Qingzhou City, bringing with him a collection of poems. According to my student, all the poems in this collection were written by the young master of the Li Family; he verified it thoroughly, there is no falsehood!”
“Oh?”
Emperor Yu was surprised, that youth could actually compose poetry?
Upon reflection, if the other party could play chess, what was so difficult about composing poetry?
In his heart, chess was certainly much harder than writing poetry.
Of course, he absolutely could not reveal this thought to the scholars from Hanlin Hall before him, otherwise they would surely split his head with their arguments, insisting on having a rationale.
“Upon receiving this collection of poems, I, an old man, only felt ashamed. We scholars read books of sages every day, observe the vast rivers of the world, and yet in the end, we are not as talented and broad-minded as a child who sits in a courtyard all day; truly, we are unworthy to face Your Majesty.”
As the Grand Tutor spoke, he slightly raised his hand to cover his face, showing a mournful and regretful expression.
The crowd watched, dumbfounded.
This old fellow must be really bewitched.
Since when have they heard the word “ashamed” come out of their mouths?
On normal days, they would stubbornly argue even in the face of unreason; today, they were actually saying they were convinced?
Emperor Yu’s curiosity was further piqued, and he urged, “My minister, stop with the suspense. Speak quickly, what exactly is the reason?”
Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Zhao took out the poetry collection from his wide sleeve and presented it with both hands.
After Chu Jiuyue, the eunuch beside Emperor Yu, waved his hand to receive it, Zhao turned his gaze back to the military governor of Liangzhou, flicked his sleeve, and with an electrifying look, said:
“It’s true they fought as father and son, and going against social norms is also true, but to say any reason is unacceptable, that statement is wrong!”
“In Dayu, we respect rituals, but we never adhere to dead rituals!”
“Otherwise, wouldn’t we all be a bunch of antiquated fools?”
Isn’t that true?
The generals sneered secretly to themselves.
But Zhao had a piercing gaze, and he said aloud, “I ask you all, isn’t someone who can say ‘I would rather die on the battlefield for my country than be wrapped in horsehide to be sent home’ a true patriot?”
“Is someone who can say ‘Since ancient times, who has escaped death? May my loyal heart illuminate the annals of history’ considered patriotic?”
“Speak not of awards and titles when a general succeeds, but remember that his success is built upon a mountain of bones!!”
With his gaze fixed on the military governor of Liangzhou, Zhao’s eyes burned with intensity, his voice resounding in the court, “These words are to discourage the talk of noble ranks and titles, ‘Success of one general atop a mountain of bones’! They reflect sorrow for the soldiers who died in battle and disinterest in fame and glory!”
“I ask you all, what kind of person is one who holds the world in such high regard and fame so lightly?!”
“With just this alone, how many people could really do it?!”
The crowd was stunned, momentarily speechless. However, they soon felt indignant — you have your say, but what is the meaning behind your gaze, as if we’re all here just for fame?
The military governor of Liangzhou’s expression slightly changed; those lines had a considerable impact on him.
His anger towards that youth from Qingzhou stemmed more from the worry that Heavenly Gate Pass would fall and the people of Liangzhou would suffer.
But that line, “What need is there for a horsehide shroud on my return”!
As someone long accustomed to the battlefield, he had seen the horrors of war and those soldiers who couldn’t even keep their whole bodies intact.
That line moistened his eyes.
The soldiers who fought to the death and protected the pass, didn’t they feel the same?
It was just that, being not good with words, they couldn’t express it.
At this moment, Emperor Yu was also browsing through the collection of poems passed to him by Chu Jiuyue, quietly flipping through it, his expression turning solemn and silent.
“Even if he is patriotic, a capable general and loyal minister, the fact that he drew a sword against his father cannot be ignored!” suddenly someone said.
Zhao glanced at the person, sneered, and said, “It is indeed a fact, but is a fact necessarily the truth?”
The man was taken aback by this question, becoming stupefied, his thoughts scrambled.
No wonder they say these pedantic scholars have silver tongues — he was completely stumped by that one question.
“Flowers in the mirror, and the moon in water; what the eyes see isn’t always reality.”
Zhao said coldly, “And even if we take a step back and assume it’s true, can it be said that King Xingwu had no fault at all?”
“Is it not severe enough to send his son to guard Heavenly Gate Pass? I ask you all, who dares to guard Heavenly Gate Pass?”
“…”
The crowd was left speechless. They were discussing filial piety clashing with duty, yet how did the fire come to burn them?
“Such a youth with a sincere heart, capable of such consideration for the people, could he not show tolerance towards his own father? I believe there must be other reasons involved, we need a thorough investigation before commenting further!” declared Zhao loudly.
Those initially proposing punishment for Li Hao looked at each other in dismay.
With Hanlin Hall siding with them, in addition to the already controversial fellows, it seemed they were mostly unlikely to win the argument.
“What can a few poems prove? They’re just words. Who isn’t capable of that?” Another voice rose, belonging to another military governor, his expression cold.
Zhao sneered, “Then let’s hear you say something.”
“I’m only skilled in warfare, not in composing poetry, that’s all. But I can still manage some plainspoken words — loyal to the emperor and willing to die for the country, we shall never shirk from death!” said the governor.
Zhao snorted, “Without a surging heart, it is impossible to produce poetry so profoundly piercing to the bone; such platitudes are indeed something everyone can say.”
As great scholars, having perused this collection of poems, they held a very favorable impression of the youth they had yet to meet face-to-face.
Seeing poetry as seeing the person, they knew that if one had perverted thoughts, a poem or two might suffice, but it would be impossible to create so many poems of loyalty.
They did not believe it at first, but after continuous investigation and multiple clarifications, they became convinced that these poems were indeed all composed by that young man alone.
Among these rough and barbaric generals, how could such a gifted and young talent with splendid literary grace emerge, causing a group of great scholars to feel both admiration and shock? Indeed, it had been an eye-opener for them.
“One man battled across three thousand miles, one sword could resist a million troops!”
At this moment, atop the court hall, Emperor Yu’s voice gently spread, and everyone listening felt a tremor in their hearts.
What majestic and grand poetry!
Brilliance slowly shot out from Emperor Yu’s eyes as the image of that peerless genius from Qingzhou became clearer in his mind.
“Good poetry, fine lad!”
Emperor Yu said with a smile, not stinting his praise.
Those who had wanted to argue further a few moments ago changed their expressions slightly and fell silent.
Now that Emperor Yu had spoken, there was no point in further discussion.
All they could do was pray that the snowstorms outside the Frontier Pass could indeed overwhelm the youth…
The court session was over.
Inside the Qianming Palace.
Emperor Yu paced here, with Chu Jiuyue following closely behind him, slightly bent over.
“You’ve seen the boy at the True Dragon banquet, what do you think of him?”
Emperor Yu walked slowly, randomly stopping in front of a flowering tree, but there was only one blossom on the tree, with snowflakes falling on its branches.
Seeing this, he was suddenly reminded of a line from his book of poetry:
Wait till autumn comes on the eighth of September, my blossom blooms and a hundred flowers perish!
A slight smile curved his lips; the youngster was aggressive in chess, and creating such a fierce poem seemed not so strange after all.
Chu Jiuyue pondered for a moment then bowed and said, “Answering Your Majesty, I observed the child’s behavior to be casual and carefree, but his temperament is steady, not like the frivolous and arrogant sort. The incident that day was indeed initiated by the direct disciple of the Buddha Master. Although very subtle, I still caught it…”
Emperor Yu’s eyes flickered slightly as he said, in a low voice, “Buddha Master…”
He looked up into the distance, speaking softly, “It’s snowing. I wonder how that child is fairing beyond the pass. I heard that King Xingwu has withdrawn all the troops from there. It seems he has figured out the hints in my previous words and is planning to abandon that place.”
Chu Jiuyue remained silent, head bowed, knowing sometimes it’s best to speak less.
“If you have time, take a trip there. I’ve heard that the child left in a hurry and didn’t even bring a sword. Bring him one in my stead,”
Emperor Yu said with a smile, “Send him the… Dragon Soar.”
Chu Jiuyue felt a jolt in his heart; that was the foremost among the ten great famous swords.
The Emperor’s fondness for the young Li seemed greater than he had imagined.
“Understood,” he responded respectfully.
“Tiangang isn’t worried his son might die, but I am somewhat afraid…”
Emperor Yu chuckled and said, “Also, tell him if he’s tired, he can return to Dayu State. I permit him to study in the external halls of Gan Tao Palace, to live alongside the princes.”
Chu Jiuyue’s pupils shrank slightly, but he still respectfully assented.
…
…
On the frontier of Liangzhou, at Heavenly Gate Pass.
The mere mound that was Cangya City.
Heavy snow fell, fluttering down and covering the tents in the campsite, blanketing the bodies of demons that had fallen the day before.
“It’s snowing.”
Li Hao stopped writing the cultivation technique, using his power to ward off objects to prevent the snowflakes from touching the paper and dampening it.
“On a snowy day, it’s inconvenient for fishing…”
Li Hao muttered to himself, glancing in Qingzhou’s direction, wondering if it was snowing there and if the lake had started to ice over…
“Today, you two should consider leaving as well,”
Li Hongzhuang said to Li Hao and Li He.
Li Hao’s gaze shifted slightly, quietly watching her.
Li Hongzhuang smiled faintly and said, “Yesterday, when you went to exterminate their lair, did you ask about the situation at Longshan Taoist Temple? There’s more than one Great Demon in the Three Immortal Realms. You killed Chi Hu Jun, the steed of that old dragon, and they will surely seek revenge!”
“All these years, they haven’t launched a full-scale assault. I suspect they’re doing it deliberately.”
Li Hao, thinking of his own investigations, asked, “Do you know why?”
“There are several possibilities. The first is to demand more live sacrifices from the Northern Cold Country. The second is to slowly erode our Li Family. After all, directly breaching Heavenly Gate Pass wouldn’t mean much since Dragon Pass Road has already been occupied; they can easily cross the border, just not in large numbers.”
“On the contrary, by trapping us here, they can continuously deplete us. That old dragon might hold a grudge against the ancestors of our Li Family and act with this purpose.”
Li Hao nodded; it seemed Li Hongzhuang knew it as well.
“But today, they’ll probably come in fury and won’t hold back,” said Li Hongzhuang.
As she finished speaking, the ground seemed to shake violently for a moment.
The three of them looked simultaneously toward the outside of the camp.
There, several giant and towering figures appeared at the edge of their vision.
“Here they come.”
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly, and although she had anticipated their arrival, when the demons really showed up, her fingers gripping the sword hilt involuntarily tightened.
The overwhelming demon aura came without any attempt to conceal it, covering the area like dark clouds.
Four towering figures stood outside the camp, and the cold wind swept through, dissipating a hundred paces from them, making it impossible to get close.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He’s eyes were grave as they stepped forward, subtly shielding Li Hao behind them.
Despite the earlier disputes, Li He wouldn’t forget his duty.
And Li Hongzhuang, feeling responsible as Li Hao’s younger aunt, believed protecting Hao was her rightful duty; she couldn’t let harm come to the boy.
Li Hao didn’t intend to rely on their protection; he handed over the cultivation technique he was holding to Ren Qianqian beside him, then gently patted the little white fox’s head to stop it from getting nervous.
He picked up the pig fang sword by his foot, the massive sword taller than him, resembling a crescent gate.
“Two from the Unwithering Realm, two from the Indestructible Realm!”
Li Hongzhuang, sensing the undisguised demon aura of these four demons, identified their realms. She had encountered two of them before when they had attacked the camp.
“Li He, can you handle one from the Unwithering Realm?” Li Hongzhuang asked.
Li He was only at the Indestructible Realm, not yet reaching the Unwithering, but he had practiced the Li Family’s top cultivation technique, refined his True Qi with numerous resources, and his cultivation level was slightly higher than that of demons at the same realm, unless the demon had a significant family background, that would only make him wary.
“I can hold one off, but killing might be difficult,” Li He said seriously.
“Alright.”
Li Hongzhuang glanced at Li Hao, who had moved beside her, “Li He and I will lure away the two from the Unwithering Realm. Do your best to hold them off, and when I’ve killed one, I’ll come to reinforce you. Also, be cautious — there might be ambushes hidden in the dark!”
“There are two lying in ambush in the dark.”
Li Hao said, astonishingly.
Shadows filled his eyes, and ever since he had practiced the Bright Jade True Demon Skill, this body refining technique had tempered his entire body, even refining his eyes. With dark, deadly energy contained in his pupils, he could see through some demon illusions and lock onto some hidden figures with the malevolent aura.
Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, both were startled, then their expressions abruptly changed.
Six demons?
In that case, they couldn’t afford to disperse; otherwise, they would be defeated one by one.
Li Hongzhuang turned and looked at the distant graveyard with a glimpse of sorrow in her eyes.
She had foreseen a day like this; she just hadn’t expected it to come so quickly.
She was no longer able to… stay here and be with her brothers.
“Prepare to retreat.”
Li Hongzhuang took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “I’ll cover you. Li He, look after Hao.”
“Yes!” Li He acknowledged.
“There’s no need.”
But Li Hao shook his head, dragging the pig fang sword on the ground as he walked forward, its coarse edge carving a deep straight groove:
“I’ve come here to hold this city. You can go, but I’m not leaving.”
“Hao Er!”
Li Hongzhuang’s expression changed, she exclaimed angrily, “At a time like this, are you still bearing a grudge? Your life is what’s important!”
Li He also wanted to persuade the obstinate master, but at that moment, the four demons outside the camp were already growing impatient and made large strides toward the camp behind the pass.
“Hong Zhuang, I came to you last time offering you to be my wife. Today, you have another chance. Will you refuse me, or will you accept?”
One of the demons, a massive cobalt blue peacock, shifted naturally into a graceful young nobleman as it crossed the gate, walking fluidly.
He was tall and slender, suave, walking with a folding fan in hand.
Yet behind him, the dense demon aura had not dissipated and was swirling above his head, faintly showing the original colossal peacock shadow.
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes were cold as she took a step forward, “I might consider being your wife, but first, kill that ugly creature next to you as your betrothal gift!”
Next to the Peacock Nobleman stood an enormous toad, like a mountain, with a tail like a long worm or a scorpion’s hook, swinging as though it could strike at any moment.
Hearing Li Hongzhuang’s words, the giant toad with flesh-covered bumps slightly cracked its mouth open, saying viciously, “You’re dead for sure, I must crush you into pieces!”
Its mouth was full of sharp, densely packed fangs.
The Peacock Nobleman looked with interest and then said, “I find Hong Zhuang’s proposal interesting, Brother Tu, could you possibly be persuaded to go ahead?”
“Get lost!”
The giant toad roared, its saliva spraying on the Peacock Nobleman, who deftly flicked his sleeve and shook it off.
“No more dawdling.”
Next to them, another giant, a black-furred creature with hair like long whiskers, said in a deep voice, “I heard that the one who killed Chi Hu Jun was a Human Race youngster, that little one there perhaps, even managed to kill the Lightning Pig too.”
Li Hao suddenly felt the gaze of several demons locked on him, bearing an intense oppressive force.
But a red shadow flashed in front of him, and Li Hongzhuang’s figure stood in his way, the slender figure in her tattered, bright red battle armor standing firm like a straight spear.
“Chi Hu Jun was severely wounded by me. He just scavenged for military exploits. If you’ve got the guts, come at me!” Li Hongzhuang said coldly.
“Don’t rush; none of you will escape today,” the giant toad revealing its ferocious teeth said, “After I break her limbs, then I can make you my wife, with your long arms and legs, so ugly!”
“You’re short yourself, don’t call my wife ugly,” the Peacock Nobleman said with a smile.
The giant toad glared at him but didn’t waste any more words and suddenly opened its mouth to spit out a scalding red shadow, hurtling toward the three at great speed.
Li Hongzhuang’s pupils shrank, and she swung her sword down fiercely.
The Sword Qi struck the twisted, veiny tongue, sparking a metallic clang as if it had hit metal.
The giant tongue was repelled, and the demon frog’s body suddenly leapt forward in a bound.
Its legs and limbs burst with astonishing power, and in the instant of its leaping charge, the ground where it had been caved in and cracked violently, as if struck by a fierce meteorite.
The rising dust drifted away, but when it blew near the Peacock Young Master, it was blocked by a force; he slightly shook his fan to cover his mouth and nose, seemingly quite disdainful.
“Ten Elephants Demon Skill!”
The giant frog roared, its demon energy coalescing into the shadows of enormous elephants, the mountain-like bodies charging with terrifying momentum.
Li Hao, Li Hongzhuang, and Li He all leapt up sharply, not daring to face this brute force head-on.
[Fishing Experience +412]
A panel notification popped up before his eyes.
Li Hao wasn’t surprised.
That charging giant frog had touched the hidden lines he left in its path.
These were lines of condensed energy, which is to say, it had entered into the midst of fishing, just in the tugging phase, not yet hooked, but there was already experience feedback.
Fishing, aside from hooking, even if the prey slips the hook, would grant a certain amount of fishing experience based on the prey’s cultivation level and situation.
The giant frog was in the state of just having hooked.
Although it was just like this, the fact that there were over four hundred experience points shows how huge the experience gain would be if one could directly fish up a Great Demon from the Three Immortal Realms!
Li Hao’s eyes lit up slightly.
At the same time, the giant frog also noticed that its forelimbs had touched a cluster of chaotic line forces, which rapidly entwined around its limbs, an attack of some special kind.
It perceived this as a bizarre Cultivation Technique of the Human Race.
“Roar!!”
The giant frog’s body surged, and it let out a ferocious roar towards the three in mid-air. The terrorizing sound waves came rushing over, shaking Li Hongzhuang and Li He to the point where their faces were flushed with blood, their chests roiling with pain and discomfort.
But Li Hao suddenly had a flash of enlightenment, as fortune favored his mind.
The Tao Realm of the third phase of Musical Rhythm made him very knowledgeable about rhythms. Under the grating sound blast at that moment, he suddenly spurred the energy lines throughout his body, using the 84,000 pores as channels, to let out a roar!
Roar!!
This roar was like a fierce tiger or a True Dragon, as if the wind of the world weaving through a body, like the culmination of life’s explosive sound!
The howling cry of the frog was forcibly torn apart, its sound waves shattered by Li Hao’s roar, overwhelmed in the blink of an eye!
The giant frog, initially planning to take advantage of the echoing sound waves to follow up with more attacks, was caught off guard by Li Hao’s roar and was momentarily stunned.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He both reacted, shocked and relieved. Fortunately, Li Hao mastered this sound technique and interrupted the giant frog in time; otherwise, continuous attacks from the opponent could have injured them badly.
They knew that aside from that, there were also five demons lurking in the dark, waiting to strike!
“Seeking death!”
Li Hongzhuang and Li He both had a burst of murderous intent in their eyes and launched their attacks.
At this moment, the giant frog was isolated deep within their ranks, leading the charge to test them, and they couldn’t afford to show mercy.
Li Hao also brandished his sword, sending sword light cascading like an avalanche.
In an instant, the sky filled with feathers collapsed like a snow mountain, rapidly accelerating and sweeping across the giant frog’s mouth.
A sharp clanging sound rose within its mouth, the Sword Qi slitting its sharp teeth, ringing like metal.
The soft flesh inside its mouth now bore several small sword wounds.
This sword strike, if it were against a demon of the Heavenly Human Realm, would tear it to shreds on the spot, but the giant frog was at the peak of the Indestructible Realm, with flesh as tough as steel, barely sustaining a light injury.
Li Hao, having experienced combat with a demon from the Immortal Realm the day before, was now shocked to see only such minor damage inflicted, realizing that the frog’s weak spots weren’t inside its mouth.
The seemingly tender flesh there was probably tougher than the outer skin of some Three Immortal Realm Demons!
After releasing his sword strike, he swiftly retracted the fishing line while Li Hongzhuang and Li He were attacking during the short interval.
With the fifth level of the Fishing Tao, he had mastered various fishing tricks, the hidden line being one he had grasped early on, which he had now refined further. Even the giant frog, a creature of the Three Immortal Realms, hadn’t immediately noticed his fishing line.
At this moment, the line of condensed energy, like a Divine Weapon iron chain, wrapped around its forelimbs, constantly stretching and winding towards its mouth and eyes.
At the front of the fishing line, energy condensed, forming into a vicious and curved Explosive Hook.
This hook was not a simple single hook, but rather like a dozen or so fishing hooks fused together. Once embedded into flesh, it would inevitably tear out a large chunk!
Li Hao thought of what his second uncle had once said, that even a creature from the Immortal Realm could be hooked and lifted by him.
He had never imagined that in just a few years, he himself could now fish up beings from the Three Immortal Realms!
“What is this thing!”
The giant frog was enraged, feeling its front limbs entwined by incredibly fine lines, sharper than a sword, causing it pain.
And yet, it could hardly make them out with its naked eye, only seeing a very faint and transparent shadow, making it very hard to even catch the scent!
But most eerie of all was how these things were now climbing and coiling onto its body like spirit snakes, and a sense of unexplainable fear arose in its heart!
“Madam, come to me.”
As Li Hongzhuang prepared to slash at the giant frog, the Peacock Young Master suddenly flickered in front and with a wave of his folding fan, which turned out to be a Divine Weapon, struck sparks against the sword blade.
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes flared with cold light as she charged furiously at him.
The Peacock Young Master wanted to tease her with a few words, but Li Hongzhuang’s frenzied attack forced him to retreat step by step without the chance to utter a word, his face growing solemn.
Meanwhile, the ground rumbled as the giant Bull Demon also charged over with hooves flaring.
It was another Unwithering Realm Demon, which at this moment emitted a purple demonic fog from its horns as it charged towards Li He.
But it had not charged far when its front hoof seemed to kick something, nearly stumbling over it.
“Hmm?”
A shallow blood mark appeared on its front hoof.
The Bull Demon looked down at its hoof, somewhat annoyed, its gaze sweeping the surroundings, but it saw nothing that had just obstructed its path, which was extremely peculiar.
Recalling the Dragon Master’s instructions, it did not dare to be careless, and suddenly its body was enveloped in a black glow, triggering an earthquake, and earth spikes resembling mounds surged up, sweeping away.
The ground cracked, and the remaining tents in the camp were also torn apart by the suddenly emerging earth spikes, extending outwards in a trail.
Li Hao sensed that another fish line he had set up was broken, but he did not mind; he could not possibly fish for two Immortal Great Demons at the same time. The force used on that fish line was not significant, and at this moment, all his attention was on the giant frog before him.
He maneuvered the fishhook, climbing upwards continuously like sharp thorns, pricking bloodspots on the surface of the giant frog’s skin, climbing towards its eyeball.
The giant frog noticed the fishhook, seeing that nearly half a meter in diameter massive spiked bend hook, it felt both shocked and enraged. What kind of attack was this?
It felt some ancient memory, buried for thousands of years, rising to its heart.
Back then it was just a small swamp frog, almost fished away by a youth who looked like a scholar.
“Bastard!!”
The giant frog roared, haunted by the dead memory. Now that it had become Immortal, it had not seen such a thing for a long time.
How could someone still dare to try fishing it?
It was no longer the small swamp frog of the past!!
The giant frog leaped forcefully, its demonic power sweeping out like skimming the surface, flinging the fishhook away.
Fishhooks are not as easy to hide as fishing lines, Li Hao’s expression slightly tensed. The fishhook being flung away was within his expectations, as this was equivalent to a forced fishing attempt.
The prey not biting was perfectly normal.
“Not properly baited.”
Li Hao instantly realized his mistake; the fishhook had been exposed too quickly. It should have been disguised as something else.
With this thought, he was moved to summon many corpses of demons and flung them towards the giant frog.
These demon corpses were remnants from the day before, some weighing tens of tons, but under the power of his True Qi, he could easily manipulate them.
When throwing, Li Hao turned the True Qi-modified fishhook into the shape of a flying needle, embedding it among the demon corpses, planning to root it inside their bodies first.
“You lad.”
Feng’s voice came to Li Hao’s ears.
Feng Boping was observing from the sidelines the whole time and seeing Li Hao leisurely fishing in such a tense battle situation, targeting an Immortal, he couldn’t help but smile in astonishment.
This young fellow’s fishing ambitions were even greater than his!
However, Li Hao’s actions made him itchy to join in the fun.
Li Hao heard Feng’s words but smiled. His ability to do this relaxedly was mainly because Feng was there to cover for him.
With a whoosh, the fishhook, shaped like a flying needle, followed the corpses of the demons and pierced into the giant frog’s body. But it only penetrated a few dozen centimeters, which was just superficial given the giant frog’s massive size.
Even though his hook-forming technique was enhanced by the fifth stage of the Fishing Tao Realm, as his own strength was only at the Heavenly Human Realm, being able to refine the fishing line to a point where it was not easily broken was quite an achievement in itself.
“Die!!”
The giant frog, realizing the foreign object impaled in its skin, was shocked and infuriated, suddenly spitting out a large patch of decay, emitting a pungent stench and acidity, hitting the ground and even scorching it black, as if the gravel was melted by high heat.
Li He wanted to provide assistance, but he was blocked by the earth spikes; the continuous attacks left him no room to dodge, his expression changing drastically.
Meanwhile, a fourth demon made its move; it was a large mummified demon with countless maggots, black multi-legged centipede-like creatures crawling and shuttling back and forth through the rotten holes on its body.
At this moment, it waved its hand, releasing waves of ghosts from its body, flying towards the center of the arena.
Li He swung his sword to cut them, but the blade passed through the ghosts like slicing through air.
Yet the ghosts attacked him, gnawing away, with even his armor unable to resist.
Li He was horrified, knowing this was an extremely formidable Divine Soul attack. He quickly offered his Divine Soul, condensed his divine might into flames, covering his sword blade, and again he swung, managing to shred some of the ghosts.
But their number seemed endless, incessantly flying out of the large mummified demon, leaving him overwhelmed.
The joint attack of the two Great Demons quickly forced him into a dangerous situation.
At that moment, two Demons hiding in the shadows suddenly made a move.
One of them pounced towards Li He like a leopard, with incredibly fast movement technique.
Li He, hearing the sound of something tearing the air, his pupils shrank, he turned in alarm only to see a hideous gaping maw coming for him, attempting to swallow him in one bite!
Just as Li He felt his blood run cold, suddenly the gaping mouth that had leaped before him seemed to smash into something, taking on a bizarre posture as it was abruptly pulled upwards.
It was as though a rope had snagged its head, flinging it into the air in an instant.
The giant wolf-like Demon looked on in shock, gazing upwards only to see a figure faintly sitting amongst the clouds.
Sitting amidst the clouds, leisurely fishing for all things.
“Got a bite!”
Feng Boping let out a light laugh, finding the feeling of fishing for Demons much more satisfying than simply killing them outright.
With his strength, he could easily crush the opponent to death, leaving no sense of achievement.
But having buried the fishing hook behind Li He and moving a few steps ahead before the enemy eagerly walked into the trap was just too thrilling!
Killing Demons wasn’t difficult; playing with these demonic beings like puppets on strings, outwitting them in a battle of wits, was truly satisfying!
This was the feeling Feng Boping loved, and it was his greatest pastime during moments of leisure.
At this moment, the giant Wolf Demon struggled desperately as it was dragged high into the sky.
But Feng Boping wasn’t going to let it escape so easily—not with that kid watching from the side. If he let it break free now, he’d never hear the end of it from that brat.
Instead of pulling hard, Feng Boping gently transmitted his power to the hook, causing it to penetrate deeper into the enemy’s body. The force of the Divine Soul extending from the hook firmly locked the enemy’s Divine Soul within its body, making escape impossible.
“Rise for me!”
Feng Boping let out a soft command, fingers orchestrating the movement; the fishing line extending from his fingertip quickly retracted, and he pulled the massive Wolf Demon straight up into the clouds.
The Demon’s internal organs were nearly ripped apart by the hook, which seemed to embed into every meridian and bone in its body, giving it the sensation of being skewered on a grill, unable to break free.
It was petrified and in excruciating pain, gazing at the old man above the clouds, its heart filled with terror.
“Great, great ancestor, spare my life!”
It begged pitifully, its body trembling violently. Although it had suspected there might be an ambush from the Human Race—otherwise why would they dare to kill Chi Hu Jun—
it never imagined the ambusher would be an old man from the Four Stands Realm.
“I, a fisherman, never come back empty-handed. Once the hook is cast, it must catch something.”
Feng calmly said with a faint smile.
The giant Wolf couldn’t understand, but that didn’t stop it from shaking in utter fear.
Meanwhile, the several Demons engaged in fierce battle below also noticed their kin dragged up into the sky, and they looked up in horror.
The small silhouette sitting there seemed like a star, its presence bearing down on them like a weight of a hundred thousand mountains.
“Four, Four Stands Realm…”
The Demons turned pale with fear, their eyes revealing deep terror.
The Bull Demon quickly turned to flee.
The giant frog also let out a strange cry, roaring, “Despicable!”
While speaking, it too struggled desperately to escape by leaping away.
But as soon as Li Hao saw Feng take action, he predicted the giant frog’s moves and had already buried hook and line in its expected path of escape.
In its panic, the giant frog failed to notice Li Hao’s maneuvers and violently leaped only to be pierced by the hook halfway through, the tremendous impact driving the fishing hook deep into its belly.
A look of surprise and delight appeared in Li Hao’s eyes as he quickly made the fishing hook split within the frog’s belly, rooting itself like spreading talons, and seized its flesh and organs firmly.
Whoosh!
The tremendous force transmitted through the fishing line involuntarily yanked Li Hao forward.
He was dragged hundreds of meters before he managed to stabilize himself, his meridians bursting with energy as he activated the Seven Stars Illumination trait of his Cultivation Technique, cycling it rapidly seven times, with the eighth surge of power dramatically increasing.
He tugged fiercely on the line, determined to keep the giant frog and fish it out.
“It hurts!”
The giant frog cried out in agony, utterly terrified. The figure of the old man above seemed like the Judge from the underworld, exuding an intense aura of death, and it was both furious and panic-stricken at the bizarre techniques impeding its escape.
It spat corrosive venom along the fishing line in retaliation, trying to dissolve it.
Li Hao, however, simultaneously shot out several more fishing lines. Thin as they were, they required a vast amount of true energy to condense, and he couldn’t sustain too many or too long lengths of line.
While he was pulling, suddenly from outside the camp came a deep dragon’s roar.
Immediately after, a whirlwind of force swept over like blades formed from chaotic winds.
Feng Boping, who was reeling in the line, narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort.
A certain power seemed to resonate in his voice, rippling out, warding off the deadly chill.
“I didn’t expect it to be you.”
In a distant place outside the campsite, a deep voice came through.
Hearing this voice, Li Hongzhuang’s face turned pale, that Dragon Lord had actually come as well!
Merely over the death of a mount, the Dragon Lord had traveled thousands of miles to lurk in the shadows.
The next moment, Li Hongzhuang realized the reason, the other party probably thought that since they dared to slay Chi Hu Jun, they must have something to rely on, which was why he came to check it out.
Something to rely on… Li Hongzhuang looked up at the clouds where a figure in a gray robe sat with a simple appearance, his face indistinct.
She could not recognize who it was, but she knew that the person was from the Four Stands Realm!
They actually had a powerful expert from the Four Stands Realm secretly protecting them all this time!
Li Hongzhuang had been guarding this place for many years, narrowly escaping death many times, yet no one from the Four Stands Realm took action. Clearly, this elder had come following Li Hao.
Was he someone sent by Seventh Brother?
But hadn’t Seventh Brother already sent Li He?
As thoughts churned in Li Hongzhuang’s mind, the demons that were before her eyes took the opportunity of the Dragon Lord’s strike to hastily flee for their lives, darting out of the campsite in the blink of an eye.
Only the giant frog, hooked by Li Hao’s fishing line, was unable to escape for the moment.
Seeing its kind running away, the panic in its eyes caused them to bloodshot as it issued roaring after roaring.
“Dare you trespass, do you wish to die?”
From within the clouds, Feng Boping’s voice came out icy cold.
“I haven’t trespassed. I’ve merely come to discipline a few disobedient children, you and I…” the deep voice began to say.
But before he could finish, it abruptly halted, as if cut off.
With a bang, the ground shook violently, like a magnitude-ten earthquake that shook the earth and mountains.
Following that, a furious dragon’s roar came from afar:
“You, too, are a demon, yet you serve the Human Race!”
With a humming sound,
a cerulean sword light a thousand feet tall emerged, visible even from miles away, a sword Qi soaring into the sky!
The sword Qi cleaved downwards as if to split the earth in half.
The surrounding forest seemed to have been cut open, leaving a very long trench.
Soon after, torrents of water appeared out of thin air, cascading down like waterfalls.
Roar!
Within the river-like waterfall, a dragon roar could be heard, resonating so powerfully that Li Hao, Li Hongzhuang, and the others tens of miles away felt a slight trembling in their hearts.
After this dragon roar, another earth-shattering tremor came from afar, the ground seeming to be struck again, causing the pebbles at the feet of Li Hao and the others to skip.
Then, everything returned to calm.
But before a few moments could pass, two agonized screams rang out in quick succession, only to be abruptly cut short as they began.
In the forests outside the campsite, there was a deathly silence, an inexplicable stillness.
Li Hao, Li Hongzhuang, and the others all had somber expressions as they looked towards the path leading from the outpost.
It was not long before a figure gradually approached.
She had a delicate build and wore a flowing dress that shone like water. Her cascade of azure blue hair seemed like a waterfall, signaling that she was not of the Human Race by her hair color alone.
And indeed, her eyes were as clear and blue as a tranquil stream, reflecting all of living creation.
Behind this elegantly slim woman were two deep blue water chains, attached to the ends of the chains were the shadows of two massive beasts: the fleeing Bull Demon and the peacock.
At this moment, the peacock’s eyes retained only a dim and feeble vitality as it was on the brink of death.
Its chest was pierced, leaving a gaping bloody cavity, its fanned tail was drooping and contracting, dragging on the ground.
Upon witnessing this scene, Li Hao and the others were all dumbstruck, including Feng Boping, who also showed a look of astonishment.
After seeing the face of the woman, Li Hao was stunned for a moment, followed by bewilderment.
The person was none other than the foodie from the cold pond, the Water Qilin, Song Qiumo.
How did she come here?
Li Hao remembered that she seemed to have promised the founder of the Tan Palace Academy, an ancestor of the Song Family, to guard the Tan Palace and not leave lightly.
But now.
This place was thousands of miles away in Liangzhou.
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the others, Song Qiumo, dragging two demons behind her, each the size of a small hill, slowly approached the mountain pass.
Seeing Li Hao’s stunned expression inside the camp, she smiled, and the cold wind around her seemed to become warmer and brighter.
“What, an old friend comes over, and you don’t welcome them?”
Song Qiumo said with a light laugh.
The sound of her voice, like clear spring water, snapped everyone back to reality.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He looked at Li Hao in shock. As members of the Li Family who had grown up in Qingzhou City, how could they not recognize the Great Demon King of the Tan Palace Academy!
Only, this Qilin Demon King had actually come for Li Hao?
As far as they knew, this Qilin Demon King hardly ever left the mountain.
Li Hao came back to his senses and immediately broke into a smile, “Wait for me to deal with this one, then I’ll come to greet you.”
He was still holding onto that giant frog demon after all.
However, the arrival of Song Qiumo had blocked the giant frog’s escape route as it desperately tried to crawl out of the camp. With its fat and bulky body trembling on the ground, it didn’t dare to struggle anymore.
With two Four Stands Realm powerhouses nearby, even if it could break free from the grip of the young child, it would not escape the attack of the Four Stands Realm.
The giant frog’s heart was filled with despair and hatred towards Li Hao. Its only hope at the moment was that by serving the Human Race, it could somehow be spared…
“Need help?”
Song Qiumo glanced at the giant frog. Her casual question made the fat on the frog’s body tremble, sweat oozing out like starch, and it stammered:
“Elder, I was wrong, please spare my life. I am willing to be a beast of burden; you can command me to do anything, I…”
Before it could finish speaking, Li Hao had already started to reel it in, pulling its body back.
His arms possessed the colossal strength of tens of thousands of pounds, enough to drag the body of the giant frog.
The giant frog’s feelings at this moment were complex and conflicted.
To struggle, or not to struggle?
If it struggled, it meant it still had the will to resist.
If it didn’t struggle… but it felt like it would die!
Ultimately, after a fierce inner conflict, its body remained prostrate and motionless, letting Li Hao drag it back, creating a long trail of friction marks on the ground.
“Young man, I meant no offence; it was all that old dragon’s doing. I have cultivated for thousands of years, doing good deeds, and being kind and helpful, I…”
The giant frog was pulled in front of Li Hao and faintly realized that its life hung on the whims of the young man before it. It began to plead desperately.
Li Hao smiled and said, “Do you have a Cultivation Technique?”
“?”
The giant frog was taken aback and then said, “I do have one, but the Cultivation Techniques of us Demons are only suitable for ourselves, and the techniques of each race are somewhat different. For example, I have become refined by swallowing the essence of the sun and the moon and absorbing the power from the marshlands of the earth…”
“If you have one, let me take a look.”
Li Hao interrupted it.
The giant frog looked at Li Hao doubtfully and hesitated a bit, “I don’t have the technique on me, you can accompany me to my home…”
“Give it to me now,” Li Hao said calmly.
The giant frog trembled all over, sensing the killing intent of the young man. It was filled with indignation inside, but only hesitated slightly on the surface before smiling awkwardly, “I just remembered, I seem to have a scroll on me.”
As it spoke, it opened its mouth, and its tongue rolled out a large scroll of Cultivation Technique covered in mucus.
Li Hao waved his hand casually and, with the power of Object Control, stripped the mucus off and then drew the Cultivation Technique aside.
After doing all this, he smiled briefly and then suddenly picked up the Pighound Sword and charged ferociously at the other party.
The Fishing Experience had just been fully harvested, and even if he let the creature go now, fishing for the same prey again would be futile.
The experience gained from repeatedly fishing for the same prey was minuscule.
Seeing Li Hao suddenly burst forth with murderous intent, the giant frog’s eyes also revealed ferocity and anger as it roared, “It’s all your fault, even if I die, I will eat you!”
It knew there was no hope of escape and had been harboring the thought of killing Li Hao when it was being dragged along.
At that moment it opened its mouth wide, and a vast cloud of poison mist sprayed out, but the poison mist was blocked by a glimmer of water—it was Song Qiumo who made a move.
Immediately after, a segment of water surged into the mouth of the giant frog, and in an instant, the frog’s body suddenly swelled and started to inflate.
Then, it let out a scream as arrows of blood shot out from its eyeballs, and blood spurted from other parts of its body too. Its swelling flesh rapidly deflated amidst the spray.
Li Hao, not wanting to be stained and dirty his clothes, stopped in time.
Before long, the body of the giant frog was completely shriveled, with its eyeballs also shrunken and wrinkled, as if it had been soaked in water for months.
Li Hao turned to Song Qiumo, feeling both impressed and helpless, “I could have handled it myself.”
“Look at you blame me,” Song Qiumo couldn’t help but laugh.
Li Hao scratched his head, realizing his words were out of line, “My apologies, I owe you thanks for today.”
“No need to apologize. Even if I hadn’t come today, you would have been unharmed.”
Song Qiumo glanced at Feng Boping above the clouds and said, “I thought you were having a hard time, but I didn’t expect that others were looking after you. It seems my arrival wasn’t so timely.”
Li Hongzhuang and Li He both secretly thought as expected, this Great Demon King indeed came for Li Hao.
Li Hao quickly said with a smile, “That’s not true at all. Without you, those Great Demons would have escaped. Speaking of which, how did you get here? Were you just in combat with that Dragon Lord?”
“That old dragon was spying from the side. I wanted to launch a sneak attack but he was too vigilant,” Song Qiumo said, her expression a bit regretful. “Still, that old dragon is as strong as I am, and it would be difficult to capture him. If it weren’t for another person here, he probably would have engaged with me properly.”
Feng Boping smiled lightly and said, “You’re too modest.”
Song Qiumo gave him a look and suddenly recognized Feng Boping’s identity, surprise flashing in her eyes. She glanced at Li Hao and couldn’t help but smile.
This guy, he really dares to make friends with anyone.
“I’m here to deliver a swordsmanship manual to you,”
Song Qiumo said.
“Deliver a swordsmanship manual?” Li Hao was surprised.
“Have you forgotten? You are a titular teacher at Tan Palace Academy. According to our previous agreement, once you have completed your teaching, you can receive the peerless technique of the Tan Palace.”
Song Qiumo’s figure floated over and landed before Li Hao.
A delicate orchid fragrance filled the air, as if the scent of fresh fruits wafted all around.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He felt a slight shock in their hearts and a sense of oppression that involuntarily tensed their bodies, but knowing that the other party had no ill will, they immediately relaxed.
“But I only taught two classes…” Li Hao said.
Before he could finish speaking, Song Qiumo flipped her palm over and pulled out a sword manual from seemingly nowhere.
Li Hao glanced at the name; it was indeed the peerless technique of Tan Palace, the Taiji Qiankun Sword.
“The Palace Master said to tally the remaining classes for now. When you have time, you can go back and teach,” Song Qiumo said with a smile.
Li Hao looked at the sword manual and fell silent for a moment.
Back when he was teaching at Tan Palace, he was known throughout Qingzhou City as an unparalleled genius, yet Tan Palace set many conditions.
Now that he had fallen into misfortune beyond Heaven’s Gate, they had crossed thousands of miles to gift it to him.
“Thank you.”
Li Hao said and took the sword manual.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He’s eyes narrowed slightly. They could tell from Song Qiumo’s words that she seemed to deliberately let them hear that the gift of the sword manual did not represent any personal ties between Tan Palace Academy and Li Hao, but was purely due to his status as a titular teacher.
Currently, Li Hao’s relationship with the Li Family was extremely poor. Helping Li Hao was not something that would win the Li Family’s favor; rather, it could easily backfire.
Yet, despite the risk of offending the Li Family, they gifted a peerless technique. Tan Palace’s intentions and attitude towards Li Hao were quite clear.
Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao. She had been maintaining the defense of the town at Heaven’s Gate Pass for many years without strong reinforcements, yet on the second day of her nephew’s arrival, two Four Stands Realm figures had appeared to protect him.
She didn’t recognize Feng Boping in the clouds above, guessing that he must have concealed his true identity.
But for the Water Qilin of Tan Palace, who wouldn’t come down the mountain for trivial matters, to actually travel thousands of miles to come here was simply incredible.
What magic did this child have to make these two figures value him so much?
Was it because of the Li Family?
She had a feeling it wasn’t.
Li He stood to one side, his expression solemn, silently noting these events to report back to the Duke.
Since the end of the battle in Northern Yan, Li Tian Gang had been promoted from a second-class marquis to a third-class duke in one sweep, raising his status even higher.
In the Li Family, only the older generation had managed to accumulate the status of a duke.
And basically attaining a first-class duke was considered reaching the peak, with any further ennoblement being extremely rare.
Advancing to the even higher rank of Divine Marquis was even more improbable, and aside from the national Divine Generals, it was practically never bestowed.
Li Junye, over a decade ago, saved Cangzhou from being overrun, rescuing hundreds of cities and their people, and was only promoted from a captain to a marquis in one go, which was already considered an unprecedented cross-spanning ennoblement in history.
If Li Junye had been a marquis at that time, he might have been ennobled to the rank of duke, but he started from too low a point, making a meteoric rise.
Watching the two Four Stands Realm figures before him, Li He suddenly felt somewhat out of place, as if he was superfluous.
Moreover, having witnessed Li Hao’s combat strength, he felt that his protective role was genuinely not significant.
“Isn’t there supposed to be a city here?”
Song Qiumo asked with her hands clasped behind her back, surveying the surroundings curiously.
Li Hao put away the sword manual and forced a smile, “The city was destroyed.”
While speaking, he noticed the peacock that was barely breathing and quickly condensed his True Force into a fishing hook, casting it out and hooking it onto the creature’s head, and violently pulling it towards him.
[Fishing Experience +2820]
Wow, that’s quite a lot.
Li Hao couldn’t help admiring to himself.
He had just finished pulling the giant frog ashore, which was essentially fishing it onto land, and had gained around eight thousand experience points.
Now, this peacock demon that Song Qiumo had battered was very easy to “fish” and still retained a third of the experience, which was already quite considerable.
If he were to fish on his own for an Immortal Great Demon, he could earn a total of roughly ten thousand experience points.
His fishing experience, which had initially been over twenty thousand, had now reached about thirty-five thousand.
If he fished another Immortal Great Demon, he would almost level up to the Sixth Stage.
“You kid…” Feng Boping saw that Li Hao was even fishing the nearly dead and couldn’t help feeling somewhat speechless.
Li Hao gave an awkward smile. If not for the sake of experience, as a fisherman, he himself found this act somewhat disgraceful.
“I’ll find some paper later to make do. The corpse of this great demon must not be wasted; it needs to be drawn,” Li Hao thought to himself.
The conditions here were rough and not suitable for painting, but the corpse of an Immortal Great Demon was valuable for accumulating Painting Experience and was too precious to be squandered.
“So tragic,”
Song Qiumo exclaimed upon hearing Li Hao’s words and raised her eyebrows slightly but said nothing more.
“Are you hungry after traveling such a long distance?” asked Li Hao.
Song Qiumo replied with a smile, “There are no little pastries here.”
“I can make some for you,”
Li Hao said with a smile, but then remembered something and added, “However, there are no materials here, so you’ll have to help gather some first.”
“I think you want to take the opportunity to have me gather a batch for you, so you can benefit from it too,” Song Qiumo had already seen the basic conditions of the place, where food and drink depended solely on the corpses of demons.
Caught out, Li Hao’s face reddened slightly, “Share the blessings, right?”
“And what about the hardships?”
“I’ll handle them,”
Li Hao said with a smile.
Song Qiumo gazed at him for a moment, then burst into laughter, her chuckle as pleasant as the sound of bells.
