Chapter 124: Hao Tian Flag! (8th Supplementary Update)

The news of withdrawal spread, and soldiers who had been frantically sleeping and healing in their tents stumbled out dazedly.

Only after hearing the deputy commanders loudly reiterate the order did their numb faces slowly show signs of life, followed by a wave of wailing and sorrow.

Many soldiers wept with their heads in their hands; others ran straight to the burial mounds, found their former comrades, wept and laughed, then scooped up a handful of yellow earth from before the graves and hid it inside their armor to carry home.

“Report to the Commander!”

“The entire Red Character Camp—ten thousand Blood Demon soldiers—now number nine thousand six hundred twenty-three, all accounted for!”

“Awaiting orders!!”

A middle-aged deputy commander of the Li family’s collateral branch stepped before Li Hongzhuang, his voice hoarse yet resolute.

Yet his eyes were already wet.

Li Hongzhuang’s snow-and-moonlike cheeks trembled slightly; her gaze swept past the deputy commander to the pale, weary, tear-filled faces behind him.

Finally, her eyes settled on the distant burial mounds.

The remaining ninety thousand had already fallen asleep here forever.

These were soldiers she had personally trained, one by one. And the expanse of these mounds stretched far beyond ninety thousand—her third and sixth brothers’ battalions lay buried here too, endless in number.

Even Li Hongzhuang, long numb to grief, felt her eyes redden.

She suppressed her emotions, took a deep breath, and shouted: “I declare—the Blood Demon Army departs today! We are going home!!”

The three words “going home” drifted into the ears of nine thousand six hundred thirty-two soldiers; every one of them wept.

“All Blood Demon Army, received!!”

The three deputy commanders and every soldier roared in unison.

They spoke of “all”—including the ninety thousand-plus fallen spirits. They would carry their souls home too.

Finally, they could begin their journey home…

Amidst the tearful, emotional cries, one deputy stepped forward, bowed deeply to Li Hongzhuang, and asked: “Commander, what of our reinforcements?”

“Reinforcements…”

Li Hongzhuang looked to Li Hao beside her and said: “He is the reinforcement come to replace you.”

The deputy turned to Li Hao and stiffened.

Replace them… with this child?

“Commander, this…”

“Don’t ask. Go. Get home while you still can—the road will be hard once night falls!” Li Hongzhuang’s face hardened again, cold and stern.

Seeing this, the deputy dared not speak further. He nodded, cast two lingering glances at Li Hao, and memorized the boy’s face.

The other soldiers had heard the exchange. After their initial excitement, they were stunned—had they all been ordered to retreat, leaving this place to a child? Many cried out in alarm, demanding explanations; some declared they would stay behind too.

But Li Hongzhuang said nothing, her face icy. Under the deputy commanders’ shouts, the soldiers were finally driven off to pack their armor and gear and begin their homeward march.

Li Hao watched silently as each soldier passed him, smelling the dust and thick blood clinging to these veterans.

At his feet, the white fox crouched, perfectly still.

Ren Qianqian stood quietly behind him, sword in hand. The girl, seeing the soldiers’ scarred bodies, broken armor, and bent blades, trembled inside, her eyes reddening.

“Commander, aren’t you leaving too?”

Another deputy looked at Li Hongzhuang, unable to hold back the question.

Li Hongzhuang shook her head slightly: “Go ahead. I’ll follow later. Don’t wait for me.”

She knew that if she said she would stay, many of these soldiers would insist on staying too—even if driven away.

After years of fighting side by side, sharing life and death, how could they abandon each other so easily?

Hearing this, the deputy hesitated, then glanced at Li Hao again, still baffled—why send a boy who looked like a wealthy young master to reinforce this lonely, desolate outpost?

But Li Hongzhuang offered no explanation, and they could not guess. Military law was absolute—they must obey.

As the nine thousand departed, the camp fell silent and empty.

Only Li Hongzhuang, Li Hao, Ren Qianqian, and the white fox remained.

Li He had vanished. He had told Li Hongzhuang privately that he would act only in secret, stepping in only if Li Hao’s life was in danger—otherwise, he would interfere with nothing.

Li Hongzhuang said nothing in response.

She had learned about Li Hao and her seventh brother’s affairs from Li He, but since she had not been directly involved, she knew none of the details.

Her only thought was to hold this lonely city.

Besides explaining Li Hao’s situation, Li He had also delivered another message to her.

That Great Yu was now engulfed in smoke and fire—demons and monsters ran rampant across the land—and the Tianmen Pass had been deemed expendable by the Yu Emperor.

It would be reclaimed only when Great Yu rose again.

Thus, even if the pass fell, no blame would be assigned; if punishment came, it would fall on Li Tiangang alone.

And Li Tiangang, having secured great merit in Yanbei, would receive at most a scolding and a deduction in salary—his “punishment” merely a show for the other officials.

In other words, this place had already been abandoned.

No reinforcements would ever come again!

Li He had told her she could leave anytime—do not throw away her life here.

But leave?

Li Hongzhuang stared at the vast sea of burial mounds, seeing before her the images of her third and sixth brothers drinking and fighting here, spilling their blood. Every inch of this land was soaked in the blood of her soldiers! The Yu Emperor wanted to abandon it. Her seventh brother wanted to abandon it. But… she would not abandon it!! Li Hongzhuang took a deep breath, steeled her emotions, and walked into the camp.

Though the soldiers had left, not all tents had been removed—some remained as decoys, to make the demons believe the garrison was still large.

“Pick any tent you like. Conditions are crude. Since the city fell, there have been no civilians here—they were all relocated over a decade ago.”

Li Hongzhuang spoke casually to Li Hao, then walked straight into the camp.

Li Hao nodded, glanced around, then saw the uneven burial mounds in the distance.

He walked over with Ren Qianqian and the white fox, scanning the wooden plaques—each bore a name or a uniform title.

The cold wind blew, sending a chill through Li Hao’s bones.

“These… are all the heroes who died here?” Ren Qianqian’s face turned pale; she covered her mouth, voice trembling. To see over ten thousand graves before her—this was beyond words.

The white fox, usually bouncing everywhere, now sat utterly still at Li Hao’s feet, watching quietly.

Li Hao fell silent.

He had come here only to repay his blood and bones.

Once three years passed, the debt would be settled.

But now, seeing these countless soldiers, he suddenly felt—beyond repaying his blood and bones—there might be another meaning to being here.

In these three years, perhaps… he should do something more.

Too bad his cultivation was still too weak.

The Heavenly Human Master realm was enough to found a sect within the interior—but here, on this perilous frontier, death could come at any moment. He still relied on Old Feng’s hidden protection.

Only when he reached the Three Immortal Realms would he have true self-preservation.

“My cultivation is rising too slowly…” Li Hao’s eyes grew deep.

Though he had entered the Heavenly Human realm at fourteen—astonishing enough—it was still insufficient for what lay ahead.

He needed to grow stronger, faster! Li Hao took a deep breath, left the burial ground, and entered the camp.

He searched other tents but found no food or drink. As he walked, he saw Li Hongzhuang sitting atop a small mound marked “Cangya City,” polishing her sword blade.

“Aunt Hongzhuang.”

Li Hao called out and walked over.

Li Hongzhuang raised an eyebrow, frowning at the boy: “You should call me Aunt.”

“I’m no longer of the Li family,” Li Hao said.

Li Hongzhuang remembered Li He’s words, her expression darkening: “Why did it come to this?”

Li Hao shook his head slightly, unwilling to speak of it, and asked: “Night is coming—are you hungry? I’ll find something to eat.”

“Night is near—demons roam. Don’t wander off alone,” Li Hongzhuang said. She knew Li He would protect Li Hao in secret, but still did not wish him to take unnecessary risks.

Li Hao looked up—the moon had risen, starlight beginning to glow.

He smiled faintly, turned from the mound, and walked casually through the camp with Ren Qianqian and the white fox, passing between the tents.

The tents had been tidied, yet inside lay broken armor and rotting, filthy clothes. Li Hao found the cook tent and rummaged through it, uncovering several salt jars.

He smiled, released his spiritual sense, and swept the surrounding wasteland—soon, he located a demon beast.

He bent down, picked up a shard of broken sword, and flicked it like a skipping stone.

The shard shot through the air, instantly appearing thirty li away—with a *thwip*—it pierced the demon beast’s skull with perfect accuracy.

The beast shuddered twice, then died.

Li Hao used his telekinetic power to draw its corpse toward him.

It was a demon beast weighing about three tons, resembling a hybrid of boar and lion, its tusks jutting out.

Li Hao took Ren Qianqian’s sword and used it as a butcher’s knife, slicing open the beast’s body, swiftly removing its organs, then cutting it into chunks.

“Qianqian, help me build a fire.”

“Mm.”

Over these past days of travel, Ren Qianqian had grown accustomed to assisting Li Hao. She nodded, scoured the area for firewood, and soon had a campfire blazing.

Li Hao had finished preparing the beast, selecting only the finest cuts, skewering them on sharpened sticks or broken spear shafts, and placing them over the fire.

He added salt and seasonings for a simple cook—yet as the meat sizzled and fat dripped, rich aromas drifted into the air.

While the demon meat roasted, Li Hao walked to a tent.

He studied its black-and-yellow patterned fabric, then gathered it up, sliced it with his sword, and cut out several even strips of cloth.

Then he braided the demon beast’s hair into a brush, dipped it in its blood, and began painting on the cloth.

"What are you doing?"

Li Hongzhuang followed the scent, stepped down from the small mound, and silently approached the bonfire, suddenly asking Li Hao as he worked.

Li Hao looked up at her, smiled, and said, "Your Blood Demon Army has withdrawn, and their battle standard has been removed—I'm making a new one."

"I didn't fully retrieve all my battle flags; some are still here," Li Hongzhuang said.

Li Hao smiled faintly: "Those are yours. This battle flag is mine."

"Huh?"

Li Hongzhuang looked over.

At that moment, Li Hao finished writing. He released his power, forcing the blood on the cloth to dry, then gestured—his object-control ability extended miles into the forest, severing several trees and drawing them near.

The trees were swiftly carved into poles.

Li Hao wrapped the excess cloth around one end, tied it fast, and planted the other end into the ground to hold it upright.

Thus, a crude battle flag was formed.

The cloth hung down, fluttering in the night wind.

Two large characters, written in demonic beast blood, swayed into view: Hao Tian!

Li Hongzhuang stared, stunned. After a long moment, she turned her gaze to Li Hao: "You're a Fifteen-Li Realm cultivator?"

Li Hao shook his head slightly.

"I'm a Heaven-Man Realm cultivator," he said honestly.

"?"

Li Hongzhuang’s pupils contracted, and she froze in place.

Li He had never told her about Li Hao’s cultivation—he’d only mentioned events within the mansion.

She had spent years on the border, constantly on guard against demonic beasts; she had no mind left for affairs within the realm.

(End of Chapter)