“`
However, it was only after the carriage had gone far and they learned from the inn’s young servant that the old man was just an ordinary person, nicknamed “Little Chess Sage.”
“A chess player?”
Everyone was surprised. He was merely a common man, yet he was treated with such courtesy by that sword attendant prodigy?
…
In the small fenced courtyard, Li Hao had already prepared refreshments and tea, and had wiped down the cool bamboo mat.
When he heard the sound of the carriage, Li Hao knew that the old senior had arrived.
As soon as Xu Zhouyuan entered the courtyard, Li Hao immediately stood up to welcome him, saying, “Senior, you must be tired.”
“The young general mustn’t overexert this old man,” Xu Zhouyuan hurriedly replied. Although he was known as the Little Chess Sage and had some reputation, the Dayu Divine Dynasty’s foundation was ultimately grounded in martial arts.
In this world, martial artists were still the most revered.
Chess Tao? It was just an insignificant side path after all.
“Not at all. Please, senior,” Li Hao said as he led him to a seat and poured him tea.
Xu Zhouyuan had been treated this way by Li Hao before, but he didn’t easily accept it, still cautiously replying with politeness, “The young general is too courteous.”
Staying with a lord was like staying with a tiger, and when scholars and literati accompanied generals, it was just like this.
“There’s no need to be formal, senior.”
Li Hao smiled, waved his hand to dismiss the others, and gestured to the Little Chess Sage senior to proceed.
Upon seeing this, Xu Zhouyuan, who had just taken a sip of tea, immediately put it down and began to grab pieces out of the chess box.
Ren Qianqian knew that when Li Hao played chess, he disliked interruptions. If disrupted, he would certainly get angry, a reaction resembling that of martial artists when startled during their cultivation.
She was already accustomed to this.
She retreated to the side to cultivate on her own, while also keeping watch for Li Hao.
The small courtyard returned to tranquility.
Daylight fell on the eaves and corridors, touching upon Xu Zhouyuan’s shoes he had taken off outside the corridor and the tender green grass growing between the blue stone pavement cracks.
Your move, my move, the two settled into a quiet game of chess.
Xu Zhouyuan gradually entered the zone, no longer as restrained as before, fully engrossed in playing his pieces.
At the end of the game, Li Hao barely won.
This Little Chess Sage’s skills were extremely high, at the level of fifth dan. With any oversights from Li Hao, turnovers were an easy possibility.
Seeing the experience prompt emerge on the panel, Li Hao smiled slightly and invited his opponent to start another round.
This quiet momentum continued until suddenly, a piercing shout intruded.
“Report!!”
While deeply contemplating his next move, Xu Zhouyuan was startled by the vigorous bellow, the piece in his hand falling onto the chessboard.
It happened to knock off a corner of white pieces on the board, changing their position.
Bang!!
A huge dark palm fiercely suppressed down, the array’s dazzling golden light flashing non-stop, countless divine runes rapidly spinning, yet ultimately unable to withstand, with a bang, shattered by the impact!
And the massive demon palm thunderously suppressed down, smashing the foundational stones of the external defensive line!
As the array collapsed, a breach in the wall was torn open. In an instant, countless demons swarmed in like a tide, entering through the breach beneath the Great Demon King, breaking through the wall, and rushing toward the city!
Many soldiers from Xuan Camp spat blood, falling to the ground, unable to hold on.
“Father!”
Li Wushuang watched as the figure that was thrown back and crashed onto the city ramparts, breaking the stones. Li Xuanli was severely injured. The dents in his battle armor and his Indestructible Treasure Body made it difficult to withstand, having sustained heavy injuries.
Li Wushuang quickly rushed over and helped Li Xuanli get up.
“Quick, retreat!”
Li Xuanli got up, his eyes on the three Demon Kings suspended in the air; blood roiled and anger flared on his flushed face, but the presence of his daughter by his side brought his thoughts back to calm:
“Constrict the defensive line, hurry and retreat!”
“Quick, release the signal for help!”
He bellowed urgently.
The deputy who had come to help relayed the orders swiftly, and meanwhile, smoke signals rose into the sky.
“Cover the governor’s retreat!”
The other generals, seeing the situation, quickly converged, their expressions solemn, aware that this was now a moment of life and death.
“`
“`
There was no Martial Artist from the Four Stands Realm stationing here, once the Array broke, no one could stop the three Demon Kings!
“Kill!!”
A general of the Three Immortal Realms roared as he threw his long spear, leading his troop to charge into battle.
Millions of people and countless demons clashed together, like two torrents colliding, with blood and severed limbs splattering everywhere, the battlefield as distinctly separated as the black and white stones on a chessboard.
“Report!!”
Xu Zhouyuan’s gaze shifted from the disturbed black and white pieces on the chessboard, looking up at the reporting officer.
The latter had already arrived at the courtyard, and upon seeing Li Hao’s figure, he immediately knelt on the bluestone floor in front of the chess table, presenting with both hands: “Young General, a military report from the Liangzhou Military Department has arrived!”
Li Hao frowned slightly, he was somewhat displeased by the disruption of his Chess Tao, but knowing the importance of the military report, he was not in a mood to be angry and gestured to take the report.
Before he could examine it, a figure rushed over in haste, Li Hongzhuang entered in bright red armor.
Having spent a long time at the Frontier Pass, she never took off her armor except for bathing and sleeping.
Even while sleeping, she wore light armor, ready to rise at a moment’s notice, fully armed for battle.
“I just heard that war horses entered the city, the messenger was covered in blood, did something happen in the western regions of Liangzhou?!”
As soon as Li Hongzhuang saw Li Hao, she quickly asked.
Li Hao’s expression changed slightly, he swiftly opened the military report, and with a glance, he read through it all.
“The western regions have fallen, led by a Demon King!”
Li Hao’s gaze darkened, had the western regions fallen so quickly?
Just as Li Hongzhuang mentioned, last night their sentinels had detected demons gathering; the intelligence was sent this morning, and now it was afternoon. The demons had gone from assembling to attacking in just a dozen hours.
The western regions had the protection of an Array.
But with three Demon Kings… it was no wonder.
Li Hao furrowed his eyebrow, the appearance of three Demon Kings among the demonic hordes did not surprise him, but the absence of a guardian from the Four Stands Realm at the western regions did.
Was the defense force of the western regions really so weak?
“Demon King!”
Li Hongzhuang’s pupils contracted upon hearing Li Hao’s words, and she hurriedly asked, “What about Fifth Brother, how is he?”
Her heart clenched as images of her third and sixth brothers’ deaths in battle came to mind, along with the funerals she had attended, filled with the mournful cries of the household and the white of mourning garments.
“He’s safe for now.”
Li Hongzhuang immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her heart slightly settling back in her chest, and quickly asked, “So, is Fifth Brother asking us for reinforcements? Now that the Array is broken, what’s their plan for defense?”
Li Hao shook his head, glanced at the military report, sighed, and tucked it away:
“He didn’t ask for reinforcements but reminded us to be careful and to beware of the Demon King. Moreover, he said they have now retreated to the second defensive line.”
Li Hongzhuang was stunned, and then she also understood; her expression became complex as she said to Li Hao, “So… should we go and help?”
Li Hao pondered for a moment. With his shadow clone managing the Array here, it could provide some defense.
While he was weighing the options, another voice came from outside the courtyard.
“Report!”
A soldier of the Haotian Army rushed in, urgently saying to Li Hao: “Young General, we saw the warning signal fires outside the pass, a scouting sentinel has been attacked!”
Both Li Hao and Li Hongzhuang’s expressions changed slightly.
The western regions had just fallen, and now demons had come here?
“Do you know how many are there?” Li Hao asked.
“We have not yet determined the number.”
Li Hao looked at Li Hongzhuang, whose expression had also turned grave.
Li Hao could tell she was thinking of doing as Li Xuanli had done: shrink the defensive lines and concentrate forces, stalling until reinforcements arrived.
He fell silent for a moment, then said, “By the time this military report reached us, they should have already retreated to the second defensive line. Here’s what we’ll do – you and Li He go together, take my battle flag with you.”
“Both of you are from the Three Immortal Realms, if you hurry, you can reach there in the shortest possible time.”
Li Hao planned to have them carry his marked battle flag to assist in the fight, while he himself would stay to defend Heavenly Gate Pass.
After dealing with the demons here, if there was still time, he would go to offer further assistance.
His battle flag contained fifty percent of his killing power, considered an extremely formidable weapon, comparable to a full-force blow from someone in the Tao Heart Realm!
This way, he could also fend off many demons for his uncle.
“`
Li Hao said, and secretly conveyed the message of his battle flag to her.
Li Hongzhuang was slightly stunned, and after hearing Li Hao’s words, she froze momentarily, “The battle flag contains Li Hao’s sword moves?”
This was the domain of Sketching Arrays that only the Heavenly Observatory could accomplish; how did Li Hao do it?
She looked at Li Hao with puzzlement and communicated through secret voice transmission.
However, Li Hao did not explain and only said, “There’s no time left, Elder Hongzhuang, if you wish to go and provide support, you should set off quickly. I will give you fifty battle flags!”
Li Hongzhuang recovered from her momentary daze, realizing that now was not the time to probe into Li Hao’s affairs. Her nephew was shrouded in too many secrets to explore; the wondrous and peerless talent alone was inexplicable, only to be attributed to a monstrous natural gift.
“I won’t go.”
A figure emerged, it was Li He.
He stared at Li He, knowing that with his current strength, he was no match for Li Hao. Thus, in addition to the solemnity, his expression carried an added sincerity:
“Young Master, in such dangerous times, Heavenly Gate Pass is also being attacked by demons. Please allow me to accompany you this time.”
Last time the Heavenly Gate Pass was in dire straits, he was knocked unconscious by a Four Stands Realm expert and sent out of the Heavenly Gate Pass, an incident that had haunted him continuously. He was moved by Li Hao’s kindness in sending him away during a crisis, yet ashamed of his failure to perform his duty, unable to face himself.
“I am under orders to protect the Young Master, even if it is to die, I shall die in front of you.”
Li He requested earnestly.
Li Hao was somewhat at a loss for words, those warriors of the Li Family really did have single-minded brains.
Li Hongzhuang glanced at him and thought about the recently detected intelligence at the Heavenly Gate Pass. With a complex look on her face, she knew she should also stay to defend. However, with the presence of the Four Stands Realm, coupled with Li Hao’s own strength not being weak, her fifth brother needed her even more.
“Hao Er, let him stay. I can travel alone, and that’s faster anyway,” Li Hongzhuang immediately said.
Li Hao pondered for a moment, and indeed it made sense.
Li He coming along would be of little use other than carrying the battle flags.
Instantly, his Divine Soul exited the body, whistling out, flying to the top of Cangya City’s walls, and from there he drew 50 of the 100 marked battle flags within a hundred li outside the city, gathering them and bringing them back to the courtyard.
The fifty stacked battle flags reached the height of several haystacks.
Li Hongzhuang covered these battle flags with her power of object control, and upon hearing Li Hao’s instructions on how to use them, she said to Li Hao:
“I’m off, be careful all of you over here!”
Giving Li Hao a profound look, she soared into the sky with the battle flags, flying towards the interior of the realm at her full speed with the rapidity of body control.
From the Heavenly Gate Pass to the western warzone lay a distance of thirty thousand li, and even reaching the second line of defense that Li Xuanli spoke of was twenty thousand li away.
If one used the speed of object control, covering dozens of li in a single breath, one could indeed arrive quite quickly.
But that was the limit speed during battle, hard to sustain. The energy expended was like a floodgate, and the longer one persisted, the more the consumed power exponentially increased.
By the time one reached the battlefield, there would be basically no fighting strength left.
The vast expanse of Liangzhou covered hundreds of cities. Each city’s territory spanned hundreds of li, encompassing numerous towns and vast wildernesses, with a diameter of one hundred thousand li.
Even with the full-speed travel of the Unwithering Strength, one would be exhausted halfway there, as the Unwithering Strength could not be maintained for so long.
At this moment, Li Hongzhuang could not afford to conserve her strength and directly burst forth at full speed to traverse at her utmost limit.
Furthermore, by not letting Li He accompany her, she intended to exercise the Unwithering Strength.
With the energy draining at this moment, she could burst forth with the maximum extreme speed.
Li He, only being of the Indestructible Realm, could not keep up with her pace.
…
Once Li Hongzhuang had left, Li Hao immediately summoned the Haotian Army, notified the whole city, and ordered a lockdown.
He also sent out a signal warning of the demon calamity, advising any wandering Martial Artists to either enter the city or hide.
Li Hao suddenly thought if the western front met with disaster, then if demons dared to come this way, it was likely that the eastern and northern frontiers would also suffer demon invasions.
Thinking of the eastern frontier, he frowned slightly; he had never paid attention to that side, nor did he want to.
The north was too far from this place, almost on the opposite end, spanning across ten thousand li of Liangzhou. It was impossible to send reinforcements instantly.
“Tighten the defense lines, if the eastern and northern frontiers are defeated, they should also retreat to the second line of defense. The news of the borders being breached should have spread throughout Liangzhou. If those noble families wish to survive, they should also send reinforcements.”
“Moreover, with such chaos, the royal troops should also come.”
“As long as we hold the second line of defense and hold them off, it should be enough.”
“But with the Demon Kings in the western front, there should also be others in different places. As defense lines shrink, demon forces will converge as well, and the pressure might be equally great, if not greater.”
Li Hao’s eyes flashed. He took a deep breath, the fifty battle flags he had just given to Li Hongzhuang might not be enough.
He then summoned a Grandmaster who served as a colonel in the Haotian Army. Li Hao took another twenty battle flags and had him ride a fast Red Blood Horse to rush to the aid of the western defense line.
The Grandmaster accepted the order and rode the Red Blood Horse out of the pass.
Li Hao instructed the scouts to watch for further news from beyond the pass, to see what kind of demons and in what numbers.
“Wasn’t it cleaned up before? Didn’t they get the message? If Tianji Palace knows of my strength and still dares to invade, it must be at least with four or more Demon Kings…”
Li Hao’s gaze became solemn, and what awaited would be a tough battle.
“Young General…”
Xu Zhouyuan, listening to this shocking news next to him, trembled, feeling for the first time the intense ferocity of the frontier soldiers.
Li Hao issued one command after another, and by now, the courtyard had emptied.
Upon hearing Xu Zhouyuan’s voice, Li Hao looked over at him, saw his anxious expression, and smiled, “Senior, don’t worry, Heavenly Gate Pass will be fine.”
After finishing, he sat back down and said, “There’s still time, let’s finish this game of chess.”
Xu Zhouyuan was stunned, looking at the youth who remained calm amidst imminent danger, he suddenly felt a sense of shame.
Although he wasn’t a Martial Artist, he had lived for seventy years but still fell short of this youth’s composure.
“Then I shall accompany the young marshal to finish this game.”
Xu Zhouyuan took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.
Meanwhile, outside Heavenly Gate Pass.
Seven hundred miles away, in a wilderness where giant trees touched the sky.
A vast group of Demons swept forward like a tidal wave, led by four Immortal Realm Great Demons.
“Both the eastern and western territories have been breached, huh? Worthy of Dragon Soar and Great Void Realm indeed, their actions are truly extraordinary; Liangzhou will soon be our territory!”
“By now their military forces should all be concentrated in the inner territories, right? If they don’t shrink their defensive line, they’ll die even faster.”
“The brat at Heavenly Gate Pass, the one who destroyed my lair and desecrated my ancestral land, I wonder if he can still sit still now!”
“Once this boy leaves, we’ll break through Heavenly Gate Pass and take the opportunity to contribute too. That way, we’ll be well-positioned to claim a piece of territory later.”
The leading Great Demons were those that had been previously driven away by Li Hao from outside the pass.
With a prompt from Tianji Palace, they had escaped in advance and gone into hiding, fortunately missing the danger.
But their lairs had been destroyed and claimed with flags, deterring them from approaching.
“Elders, Marshal Haotian hasn’t returned yet. He went to Tianji Tower just six days ago, and even if he only studied for one day, he would need until tomorrow to return if he travels normally,” said a Bird Demon from Tianji Palace as it flew swiftly to bring the intelligence.
Li Hao had concealed his tracks when he left the pass; even Tianji Palace could not detect him and had to infer his movements based on those who came and went from Tianji Tower.
Now, they had mobilized the intelligence outpost from Yongzhou to help investigate the area outside Tianji Tower.
However, Tianji Tower also dealt in intelligence. Tianji Palace had been established based on Tianji Tower’s model and didn’t dare approach Tianji City too closely. Consequently, Li Hao’s whereabouts could only be guessed.
“Hmph, the one on the city walls is just an avatar, not unlike our Demon Art—frightening but a bluff,” a Great Demon from the Immortal Realm scoffed. Although the Cultivation Technique of creating avatars was rare, they had seen quite a few, and those avatars typically possessing one-tenth the power of the original body were considered quite good. -le-mp-yr
“Why don’t we take the chance to attack while he’s still not back?” suggested a Demon.
After discussing for a while, they quickly made a decision and immediately ordered the army to march at full speed.
Soon, the scouts sent to investigate detected the movements of these Demons and passed the information back.
“Report!!”
The shout arose, rushing into the small fenced courtyard.
Xu Zhouyuan, just about to place a black piece, nearly fumbled it and hurriedly looked over.
Li Hao paused, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he signaled for the report to be made.
“Report to the general, we have located the traces of the Demons outside the pass. The number is roughly over fifty thousand, with what seems to be two Immortal Realm Great Demons among them; the strength of the remaining Demons is still unclear,” reported the scout.
Li Hao slightly raised an eyebrow.
Fifty thousand?
Only that many?
If it were the Demon King in command, he wouldn’t bring just fifty thousand troops unless he aimed to conceal his movements or lull the enemy into complacency, or perhaps he planned to strike quickly.
But if it was a quick strike, the Demon King himself would suffice—with smaller disturbances and faster speed, he certainly wouldn’t let a Demon army stir the grass and alert the snake.
After all, the combined power gathered by fifty thousand troops was still insufficient to withstand a few slaps from the Demon King.
“Report back immediately if there are changes,” Li Hao said.
“Yes.”
The scout departed.
Li Hao turned around, and immediately noticed a vacancy in the black pieces on the chessboard. He smiled and placed a white piece to fill the gap.
“Marshal…” Xu Zhouyuan swallowed his saliva with some effort.
Li Hao smiled faintly and said, “Elder, with the Inner Formation in place and my presence here, it’s too late to flee now. It’s either life or death. Better to stay calm and finish this game with me.”
Xu Zhouyuan was taken aback, then realized it was true. It was definitely too late to leave the city now. If Heavenly Gate Pass were to fall, wouldn’t the enemy attack immediately? Could they, mere carriages and horses, possibly outrun the Demons?
He immediately focused his mind, took a few sips of tea, and now seated in this besieged city, his thoughts seemed to clear up a lot. He felt braver and began to consider his moves seriously.
As the Demon Tide outside the pass loomed closer, reports from the scouts continuously reached Li Hao’s ears.
The Demon Tide was getting closer.
A hundred miles outside the pass.
Upon seeing those war flags scattered around, the faces of the four Immortal Great Demons changed, filled with a nightmarish sensation, followed swiftly by annoyed and furious outrage.
“Send the order, avoid these war flags at all costs, and don’t touch them,” one commanded.
The Great Demon issued the command.
The massive and dispersed wave of the Demon Tide suddenly contracted, and its pace slowed down.
“I will protect these war flags to prevent any shortsighted creature from touching them,” an Immortal Demon stated, releasing its power to cover the flags and prevent them from being touched.
The Demon Tide continued to march on, and quickly arrived in front of Heavenly Gate Pass.
At that moment, numerous soldiers atop the pass were prepared for battle.
Watching the approaching dark tide of beasts, both the Haotian Army and the Bloodsha Army had a grave expression on their faces.
Meanwhile, the message also reached Li Hao’s ears.
“Have they already arrived?”
Li Hao narrowed his eyes slightly. Whether there was a Demon King hidden within the Demon Tide, he would know after making his move.
“Qianqian.”
Li Hao called out softly.
Ren Qianqian had already ceased her cultivation practice. After all, the continuous military reports had unsettled her, making it difficult to concentrate on her training.
Now, hearing Li Hao’s call, she immediately understood his intention, turned, and ran into the house to fetch Li Hao’s sword from the Sword Box.
This Sword Box was crafted by Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower when they forged the Dragon Soar Sword for Li Hao, normally used to store the treasured sword.
Ren Qianqian opened the Sword Box, and with a sheathing sound, the Dragon Soar Sword emerged suddenly from its sheath. The bright gleam of the blade reflected in Ren Qianqian’s eyes, turning into a streak of golden light. Like a dragon swirling through the sky, it drew an arc above the courtyard before speeding towards the exterior of Cangya City.
The diameter of Cangya City was just sixty miles across, which was the size of a medium city, but Li Hao’s range of control over objects extended to a hundred miles.
On the streets, numerous scions from noble families and talented youths from different states, stood on the street, rushing towards the city walls.
They had heard about the Demon attack on the city, yet they were not frightened; instead, there was an inexplicable excitement.
Usually, slaying Demons required traveling over mountains and searching far and wide. But now, they could witness a Demon Tide.
As they rushed to see, suddenly, a streak of golden light raced over their heads, carrying a terrifying pressure and murderous aura.
That streak of golden light, with a dragon’s roar and a tiger’s bellow, sped towards the direction of the city gates.
“What’s that?”
“It looks like a sword!”
“Hurry, let’s go and see!”
Among the astonishment of the crowd, they hastily chased after the golden sword light, heading towards it.
“Roar!!”
With the roar of the demons, the tide of the demon horde approached like dark clouds covering the sky, filling the pass to the brim.
Atop the city walls, the vice-commander of the Bloodsha Army ordered, “Activate the array!”
Above Cangya City, golden light emerged, with the array enveloping everything.
“So many battle flags!”
Within the demon horde, four Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms saw the Haotian battle flags planted atop the city walls and their expressions changed slightly.
“However, at such a close distance, if those battle flags were to burst forth, they should be affected as well, right?”
“But it’s unknown whether the array attacks within these battle flags only target demons.”
The eyes of the four Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms were grave, but they had anticipated this scene beforehand, only they hadn’t expected there to be so many battle flags.
“First breach the city, let the lesser demons destroy the battle flags, then we can retreat!”
They had already thought of countermeasures and paused for a moment, then called out the charge on their war horns.
At once, the demon throngs behind them charged towards the city covered in golden light in response to the call.
But just at that moment, suddenly a dragon’s roar resounded from afar.
It seemed to come from tens of miles away, traversing the air with a piercing howl!
All four Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms looked up, and the many generals on the city walls couldn’t help but also look up to see a golden sword light, speeding from within the city, passing over their heads at high altitude, like a brilliant meteor.
“It’s a sword!”
“It’s the Dragon Soar Sword!”
Several of the Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms had their expressions change dramatically, recognizing that legendary sword.
Ever since that sword fell into Li Hao’s hands, its reputation had grown even greater, having carved out a formidable name for itself in the five thousand miles outside the pass!
As they caught sight of the Dragon Soar Sword, the Dragon Soar itself was whistling past the array, with the sword’s body covered by Li Hao’s controlling spiritual thought, bearing Li Hao’s aura, while Li Hao himself possessed the array command token, so the flying sword penetrated the array without any hindrance.
Whoosh!
The Demon Soul on the Dragon Soar Sword was stimulated, roaring towards the sky, its voice shaking the lands a hundred miles beyond the pass!
Afterwards, like a True Dragon entering the sea, it set off a towering surge of Sword Qi. In an instant, its body cracked like ice, unleashing countless showers of sword rain, forming a terrifying tide of swords!
One sword stood supreme, pressing down the sky!
The majestic tide of swords, like a sea of water, covered everything, rolling over towards the army of fifty thousand demons.
The divine light-enshrouded Dragon Soar Sword, like a golden dragon, weaved through the demon horde, moving at extreme speed, like golden divine lightning, carving arcs of gold through the demon horde.
Where it passed, the bodies of demons were pierced through. Those with lower cultivation levels were directly torn apart by blades of Qi dragged along by the Sword Qi, not even having the chance to scream.
The sword tide also swept forth, colliding violently with the approaching demon horde. In an instant, the demons at the forefront were pierced through by the sword tide, with countless spatters of blood, their demonic auras dissipating, as if riddled with a thousand holes!
This terrifying scene left all the many generals on the city walls agape in shock.
Most among the Haotian Army were martial artists from various states who had come to reinforce Li Hao. When they had arrived, they had only seen Li Hao under attack by several Demon Kings, already bloody and in a dire condition.
Their impression of Li Hao was still of a time when Li Hao, at Dayue City, beside Dragon River, dominated all with just a finger.
After all, that time was not so distant from now.
But at this moment, the awe-inspiring might unleashed by the Dragon Soar Sword left them speechless.
One sword cut through fifty thousand demons!
Among them, there were dozens of demons from the Heavenly Human Realm, and at that moment, they were not fighting according to martial ethics by taking turns to battle one-by-one during a grandmaster’s doctrinal debate, but they could join arrays to attack!
Yet, they were still scattered and unable to defend themselves!
Young masters from various families followed to the city, some climbed to the top of the nearby buildings, looking out from the towers, while others summoned their Divine Souls, gazing from high in the sky within the city.
At this moment, witnessing the endless tide of swords beyond the array and that Dragon Soar Divine Sword weaving through, they were all struck wordless.
“Is that sword the one belonging to the young general?”
“It’s his sword, I recognize it, it’s the Dragon Soar!”
“The foremost of the world-renowned swords, it’s that sword!”
Many of the young masters were aware of many famous swords, their images and charts spread far and wide.
What makes a sword famous is not just its name being recognized by people, but also its shape and posture are known by all!
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the entire city, the Dragon Soar Sword stirred up myriad sword tides, crushing the demon army.
This devastating and shocking scene seemed not like a demon horde besieging the city, but rather, the Dragon Sword soaring and diving, a one-sided slaughter of demons!
Blood flowed freely, countless demons roared defiantly, only to be instantly penetrated, fragile as paper, soft as tofu, before the Dragon Soar Sword, offering no resistance!
As the Dragon Soar Sword plunged into the demon horde, advancing increasingly deeper, it quickly moved to strike at the four Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms.
In a small courtyard enclosed by a hedge.
Li Hao lightly placed a piece on the board.
As the demon horde charged to the outskirts of the city, he had already noticed that among them were four presences of the Three Immortal Realms, two of which were hidden. Therefore, the sentinels before had not detected them, because the Great Demons had intended for them to be overlooked.
The combination of overt and covert moves was like the placement of pieces on this chessboard, alternating between black and white.
Beyond these Great Demons of the Three Immortal Realms, no presence of a Demon King was detected, possibly hidden even deeper.
But it didn’t matter, he would just slay all these demon hordes.
In the face of absolute power, shallow tricks are useless.
“Capture!”
Li Hao trapped with four pieces, and pinched up the central black piece from Xu Zhouyuan’s side, which had extended its claws to invade more white territory but was now surrounded and cut off by Li Hao.
Bang!!
The Dragon Soar Sword suddenly pierced through the void, slashing towards a Great Demon of the Three Immortal Realms!
“Bastard!!”
This Three Immortal Realm Great Demon was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body, the might of the Divine Sword was too powerful. Could it be that the young man didn’t go to Tianji Tower and was instead situated within the city?
Or could it be just an avatar wielding this sword?
Roaring, he revealed his true form, like a huge savage bull, violently using his horns to strike at the Divine Sword.
His whole body was swelling with demonic aura, forming a towering bull demon shadow behind him, a whisper of an ancient Demon King bloodline hidden within his veins.
At this moment, the phantom of the Bull Demon’s eyes glowed crimson, attempting to sweep away and grasp the Dragon Soar Sword with his hands.
However, the Dragon Soar Sword erupted with an even more dominant and explosive Sword Qi, like a dragon’s roar penetrating a roar, swiftly streaking with electricity, instantly dodging the Great Demon’s horns in the Three Immortal Realms, stabbing straight towards its head.
There was a muffled thud, like some dull impact sound.
The skull shattered.
The Divine Sword’s golden light vanished atop its head, the Three Immortal Realm Great Demon’s eyes widened, pupils constricted, yet its body remained rigid in place.
In less than two seconds, dazzling sword light split from every direction of its body, breaking apart like shattered ceramics, countless fissures bursting forth with divine radiance, then exploding violently.
Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, the entire body torn asunder!
A Divine Soul escaped from the body, but it too was severely injured, screaming as it fled far away, burning its spirit with great speed.
But the speed of the Dragon Soar Sword was even faster. In an instant, it arrived, cutting with a single stroke, extinguishing its Divine Soul!
The Divine Soul, like burning gold paper, convulsed in the void as the blade passed.
The Dragon Soar Sword’s attack caused excruciating pain and damage to its Divine Soul, its body burning, struggling to crawl forward, eyes revealing despair and unwillingness, along with intense regret.
But in the end, the Divine Soul burned out, leaving nothing behind, like a gust of wind, scattered.
The Dragon Soar Sword roared as it flew towards another three Great Demons, not halting for a moment, bursting forth with even more ferocious might.
“Damn it, what kind of power is this?!”
“Run!”
The remaining three Great Demons were terrified, a single sword piercing through the Three Immortal, instantaneously slaying it.
That was supposed to be the Indestructible Realm, with flesh as tough as a Divine Weapon, yet it was cleaved into countless pieces by this Divine Sword?!
In this moment, they finally confirmed that the young man had not left Cangya City; it was all a ruse, deliberately luring the enemy!
But their realization came too late.
They scattered and fled, no longer caring about the demon tide they had summoned, only thinking about saving their own lives.
But the speed of the Dragon Soar Sword was incredibly fast, instantly catching up with another Great Demon of the Three Immortal Realms. As it frantically roared in resistance, a towering Sword Qi burst forth, hundreds of zhang tall, as if slashing down from the clouds, cleaving its body in two!
Such might made everyone atop the city walls boil with blood, surprised and delighted, clenching their fists.
After slaying one, the Dragon Soar Sword turned towards the other two Great Demons of the Three Immortal Realm, chasing with the main body, while in the sword tide created by the rest, a dragon composed of countless sword lights chased after another Great Demon.
The Great Demon pursued by the Sword Qi dragon panicked in its attempt to escape. Though also from the Indestructible Realm, the previous Bull Demon’s tragic death without any resistance left him with no will to fight at this moment.
Seeing the Dragon Soar Sword’s main body chasing after the one it had called “old friend” before, its heart surged with joy.
He fled frantically for his life, but the surging sword tide approached from behind, he roared, “Break for me!”
Just with the sword Qi split from the main sword, it intended to slay him. Did they really think he was an easy target?
He roared in fury, his palms like divine iron, conjuring a majestic demonic aura into a palm imprint as large as a mountain, and pushed it across.
But as soon as they touched, he sensed that something was off. The penetrating power of the Sword Qi dragon was far stronger than he had imagined.
The demon palm shattered, countless Sword Qi dispersed, washing over his body.
He felt a piercing pain all over his body, as if thousands of needles were stabbing him, and his body splattered with countless drops of blood.
“Ahhhhh!!”
He let out a furious roar, revealing his true form, but just as he began to transform, suddenly a Sword Qi struck him and his Divine Soul and strength seemed to be instantly snatched away by the Grim Reaper.
It was as if all his blood and spinal cord were instantly drained.
“How, how is this possible…”
His pupils contracted, his eyes filled with horror, but more than that, with despair.
He could feel his life force rapidly declining, like falling into an abyss thousands of feet deep.
He attempted to sacrifice his Divine Soul to escape, but his Divine Soul felt like it was tumbling over a cliff, struggling to climb out of his body, yet never able to escape, eventually falling down along with the body.
Thump!
His body collapsed on the ground, kicking up dust.
Numerous Sword Qi bombarded him, pecking his body to pieces.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Soar Sword had already caught up and slain that Immortal Realm Great Demon.
The opponent was of the Unwithering Realm, unleashing Unwithering Strength, bursting forth with all his might, even burning his Divine Soul and bloodline, but the True Dragon Sword Soul flew out from the Dragon Soar Sword, with the domineering presence that once belonged to a Demon King, cutting him down with a single slash.
His physical body could not withstand the Dragon Soar Sword’s blade; though his power was immense, it was like rotten wood that could not withstand a single strike.
After dealing with a few Great Demons, the Dragon Soar Sword returned to battle the tide of Demons, with countless Sword Tide washing down like rain, the ground covered with a rain of blood.
The tide of Demons let out shrill screams, scattering in all directions, but under the baptism of Sword Qi, they were all engulfed.
A mere fifty thousand Demon Tide, although there were quite a few at the Heavenly Human Realm and Fifteen Li level, boasting overall great strength, but Li Hao, when he was just at the Fifteen Li Realm, had already slain an equal number of Demons in Cangyu City, Qi State!
Times had changed, and not a single demon escaped; in less than the time of half an incense stick, including the four Immortal Realm Great Demons, all were slain.
Outside the city, corpses were strewn everywhere, and blood flowed like rivers.
Countless demon bodies were torn and scattered all over, resembling purgatory.
And the Dragon Soar Sword traced an arc of light in the air, hovering for a moment, then, like a golden rainbow, flew back into the Array, shooting straight towards the center of the city, towards that small courtyard surrounded by a fence.
Countless people looked up, watching the Divine Sword retract its golden light, descending into the city.
They knew that was where the young man resided.
From start to finish, the opponent never showed himself, merely a flying sword, yet he had slain fifty thousand demons, cutting down four Immortal Realm Great Demons!
That young man… was only fifteen years old this year!
Compared to the battle at Dayue City that shocked the world, now, that young man had become even more formidable!
The city was as if silent, a brief lull before a burst of cheers that reached the skies ensued.
On the city walls, numerous soldiers excitedly embraced each other, this tense and grave battle that had yet to begin, that they had yet to join, was already resolved.
With the might of that one young man, the tide of demons was vanquished!
“Marshal Haotian!!”
Someone took the lead and let out an excited cry.
Countless soldiers couldn’t help but raise their arms in cheer.
Someone excitedly grabbed the military flag on top of the city walls, fluttering it in the wind, shouting loudly!
Inside the city, many scions of noble families, young boys and girls, as well as those merchants coming to do business, and the common folk living there, all heard shouts coming from all directions.
At that moment, the name of that young man reverberated through their minds.
Haotian!
Liangzhou, western frontier.
War raged, scorching the earth for miles on end.
The once-standing Black Stone Great Wall here was now destroyed, its bricks stained with blood, ruins and rubble everywhere.
On the ground, bodies were scattered all around, those of Demons and Human Race warriors mixed together, some bisected at the waist, arms severed, yet still clenching onto the flesh of Demons with their teeth.
Some Demons were riddled with holes, but on their sharp teeth hung pieces of corpses, as if they had been in a biting frenzy until their last breath.
Both sides had fought fiercely and desperately, their ferocity and resilience vividly displayed on this battlefield that concerned the fate of millions.
Broken weapons, shattered armor, and severed limbs were everywhere, yet this battlefield had fallen silent.
The Human Race had retreated, and the Demons had followed suit. Occasionally, lone wild Demons, scavenging in the wake of the greater Demon tide, would sneak onto the now-quiet battlefield to search for fresh corpses as food.
A simian Demon clambered to the broken battlements, where a battle flag hung limp like a torn piece of cloth; it grabbed a broken flagpole and shook it vigorously a couple of times.
The flag fluttered in the wind, the character ‘Xuan’ twisting as the flag billowed, but soon it fell listlessly once again.
The little simian Demon chattered and gave a strange laugh, finding it amusing, and shook it a few more times with force.
The fluttering flag swept over…
And with that, a grand chase commenced!
The battlefield was five thousand miles west.
Across the vast plains, a mighty tide of Demons surged torrentially, like a black earth rising on the horizon, scaling mountains, crossing rivers, sweeping everything in its path.
In the forefront, countless troops moved chaotically, rushing towards the city ahead.
Along the way, signals of war smoke kept rising, relaying intelligence.
Before them, within the city’s defensive line, large armies emerged to meet them, precisely, to make a last stand for them.
“Quick, quicker!!”
Li Xuanli was soaked in blood, and although he had taken medicine to stabilize his wounds, his body was extremely weary.
Yet, he knew he could not fall, his whole body surged with blood, sustained only by sheer fury.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
Behind them, the tide of Demons was at the edge of sight, about to catch up.
In the midst of the troops, a signal flared up, and a Li Family soldier of common birth turned to look at the Demon tide behind him, suddenly reining in his horse, slowing his pace.
He roared orders for his battalion to halt, stay behind to hold off the attackers, and buy Li Xuanli time.
Li Xuanli was the commander-in-chief; he must not fall here, or else the defenses behind him would collapse even faster.
Furthermore, Li Xuanli was of the Li Family’s direct lineage from the previous generation, with only three of nine sons remaining; how could he fall now?
He thought back to his mother’s teachings from when he was young: the direct line is noble, and those of common birth must respectfully give way upon seeing them.
The Li Family’s thousand years of glory were upheld by the direct line.
He was rebellious in his youth, considering himself exceptional, longing to shine alongside the sun and moon.
But in his middle age, after witnessing the funerals of six sons of the Li Family’s direct line and how the direct line always charged to the front lines during wars,
He finally understood that the difference between the direct line and those of common birth was not just about birth but also the weight of responsibility they bore.
Having served under Li Xuanli for many years now, he had long admired this direct-line general.
Just like his mother said, the direct line is noble, while those of common birth have a cheap fate.
Perhaps his mother had feared his youthful ignorance would lead him to offend the direct line, repeatedly instructing him.
But that saying had taken deep root in his heart and became an indelible mark.
Watching the approaching tide of Demons, the general of common birth smiled.
“Even my mother said my life was cheap, so what does it matter if I end up in the same grave as you Demon beasts?”
“Come on!!”
He brandished his long halberd and roared as he led his battalion against the current and charged upwards.
Li Xuanli also saw that signal flare, turned his head to look at the figure on horseback becoming increasingly distant—that was a brother-in-arms with whom he had shared life and death.
They had once shared wine and laughter together in the barracks, with no distinction between direct and common birth between them.
He had once promised to watch the other rise to nobility, to erect a monument for his mother and lay her to rest in the Li Family’s mausoleum.
But all that was slipping away at this moment.
His eyes moistened, and he wiped them, his hand uncertain whether it was blood or tears.
He did not stop; instead, he clenched his teeth and roared lowly, “Faster!!”
The entire army accelerated, rushing towards the defensive line ahead.
Along the way, spanning five thousand miles, there were many great cities located on the frontier.
Those great cities chose to stay and defend, holding the line for Li Xuanli.
When the Demon tide broke through the border with such swiftness, these frontier cities had no chance of escape, so they chose to die in battle in their homeland instead.
A city nurtures its people!
However, before the overwhelming tide of Demons, these cities were like rocks covered by the black tidal wave, quickly submerged.
Only a few splashes arose as they relied on the City-Protecting Formation to barely hold on, but they were promptly shattered by the Great Demons of the Three Immortal Realms within the tidal wave. Under the vast surge of Demons, everyone in the city—civilians and soldiers—became ghosts under the Demons’ claws.
Wherever these Demons went, nothing was left behind, like locusts devouring everything in their path.
However, now with the army in pursuit, the Demons dared not stay to savor their meals slowly. Some carried their catch in their mouths, eating while chasing, others were drawn by the delicious prey, staying behind to feast, only to be slapped dead by the Great Demons in command.
Their fearsome presence kept the Demon army’s advance across various cities at an unabated pace.
And in those cities, nothing was left but blood-soaked ground and the remains of corpses.
