Chapter 180: The Demon King

During the reconstruction of Cangya City, Li Li Muxiu quietly bid farewell to Li Hao.

He understood Li Hao's nature—he had no desire to return to Qingzhou, nor to bow his head—but thankfully, the three demon kings had been driven off, and Tianmen Pass was temporarily safe, so he felt at ease.

Moreover, upon learning that the black bird demon king had been slain by Li Hao himself, he was stunned, and realized that the current Li Hao no longer needed the Li family's protection.

Had it not been for the four demon kings' assault, under any other circumstances, Li Hao could have protected himself entirely on his own.

After all, an attack by four demon kings carried even a Four-Establishment realm cultivator's risk of death—how much more so for Li Hao, merely a Celestial Realm cultivator?

For Li Hao's rapid growth, Li Li Muxiu felt not only pride, but also a quiet pang of loss and regret.

Yet, seeing the multitude of warriors from various provinces gathered around Li Hao, he understood that perhaps this was the best outcome for Li Hao.

Not long after Li Li Muxiu departed, the Demon Suppression Bureau arrived.

They came with one Chief Commander and three Demon Suppression Generals.

The Chief Commander was a Four-Establishment realm cultivator; the three Demon Suppression Generals were all Three-Indestructible realm experts.

Notably, Li Hao had met this Chief Commander before—at the True Dragon Banquet, where he had sided with Li Hao's rival, Li Ganfeng, named Xiang Xiang Yuguang.

As one of the seven Chief Commanders of the Demon Suppression Bureau, Xiang Xiang Yuguang had previously misjudged his allegiance; upon hearing news of Tianmen Pass, he hurried here to meet the boy he had briefly parted from over half a year ago.

By the time Xiang Xiang Yuguang arrived, Li Hao's body—having concealed its true state—had fully healed on the surface, and he wore new clothes, appearing calm and clean.

In the rebuilt bamboo-fenced courtyard, Li Hao sat on a bamboo mat along the veranda, his feet gently swinging over the empty space beyond.

A teapot and several snacks rested on a small table beside him, giving him an air of leisure.

"Young Master, I've heard a demon king breached the border—I've come to register and investigate."

Xiang Xiang Yuguang stood in the courtyard, his demeanor gentle, yet internally awkward.

Last time, he had misjudged the situation and chosen the wrong side—he wondered how deeply the boy remembered him.

This time, he didn't seek to befriend Li Hao; he only hoped to erase the past incident and mend some distance.

After all, life was long—he could take his time.

"Mm."

Li Hao responded with ease, offering no taunts or provocations, as if he had forgotten the past, saying:

"What do you need me to do?"

"I'll show you the investigation report—you only need to confirm it," Xiang Xiang Yuguang replied with a smile.

Internally, he grumbled: I'm a Chief Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, and he doesn't even offer me a seat—this kid clearly holds a grudge.

"Alright."

Li Hao agreed, then lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.

Lifting the teacup meant dismissal.

Xiang Xiang Yuguang felt slightly helpless, smiled, and took his leave from Li Hao.

The three Demon Suppression Generals at the courtyard gate quietly studied this legendary prodigy, their eyes filled with curiosity and astonishment.

This young master doesn't even spare a Chief Commander face—truly youthful arrogance.

Yet they had all heard how Li Hao slew a minor demon king before countless eyes; his strength rivaled their own, and given time, he would stand equal to Four-Establishment realm cultivators—no need to be overly humble.

"Only fourteen years old—unbelievable."

"Yeah, what were we doing at fourteen?"

"I don't know about you two, but I was still outwitting Spirit-Traveling realm demons…"

The three Demon Suppression Generals whispered to each other; only when Xiang Xiang Yuguang approached did they cut off their transmission and stand respectfully.

While Xiang Xiang Yuguang and his team investigated the details, Song Song Qiumo entered the courtyard; Li Hao immediately invited her to sit and poured her a cup of tea.

Song Song Qiumo lifted the cup, took a sip, and said: "Crisp and sweet—excellent."

Li Hao smiled.

"I'm preparing to return to Qingzhou," Song Song Qiumo said, glancing at Li Hao.

Li Hao had anticipated this—now that the three demon kings had been driven off and the Demon Suppression Bureau had arrived, their presence alone would deter further threats, especially since Xiang Xiang Yuguang was a Four-Establishment realm cultivator.

These demons dared defy the Border General's Office, brazenly provoking it—but they feared the Demon Suppression Bureau far more.

The Border General's Office guarded the frontier, facing countless demons; the Demon Suppression Bureau was different—once you provoked them, they fixated on you.

Their sole duty was to hunt demons and suppress evil—they had nothing else to do but track you down relentlessly; even demons grew weary of them.

"Don't worry about me—yourself, though, you've been away so long on my account; you'll likely need to re-register and obtain new travel permits."

Li Hao said.

Even with the Tan Palace's intervention, this would require effort—it involved bordering imperial authority and a Four-Establishment realm demon king, so the review was strict.

"Minor matter."

Song Song Qiumo smiled, then fixed her gaze on Li Hao and whispered: "For now, there won't be any more turmoil here. Three years from now, I'll wait for you in Qingzhou."

"Mm."

Li Hao gave a slight nod.

Though he had no desire to return to Qingzhou, the province was vast—and with this old friend there, he wouldn't mind making the trip.

Song Song Qiumo smiled faintly, her lips curling like a thousand springs of wind; she extended her empty teacup and said: "Another."

"Alright."

Li Hao refilled it for her.

One cup, then another.

After finishing, Song Song Qiumo rose, glanced once more at Li Hao, then turned away without looking back—her figure drifted off, vanishing within the courtyard.

Not long after Song Song Qiumo departed, another guest arrived at the bamboo-fenced courtyard—this one, lively and bustling.

It was the Celestial Observatory—they held mastery of talismanic arrays, and most city arrays were designed and inscribed by them.

The leader this time was a Star Master, a Three-Indestructible realm cultivator, holding extremely high rank.

In official hierarchy, he outranked Xiang Xiang Yuguang by half a rank—talismans and arrays were extraordinarily complex, requiring not only martial aptitude but also profound insight, lifelong study; it was like mastering two disciplines to the pinnacle simultaneously.

A thousand years ago, demons infiltrated the Celestial Observatory and stole several scrolls of array secrets—but the demonic forces beyond the borders had only crude, shallow arrays ever since, because learning these things taxed the mind beyond capacity.

Arrays involved the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, celestial patterns, and the Book of Changes; even after centuries of study, few dared claim true understanding.

This Star Master had thin, white hair and eyes that carried solemnity and dullness; Li Hao rose to greet him, offering tea—but the old man merely waved his hand, saying they had come to work, not to eat or drink; he exchanged a glance with Li Hao, received the city lord's seal, then turned to his duties.

His demeanor bore the air of a stern scholar.

He ignored all social niceties, focused solely on array research.

The accompanying scholars were mostly expressionless, though their eyes occasionally flickered with deep thought.

Only one girl appeared lively; after the others left, she lagged behind and grinned at Li Hao: "Young Master, don't mind him—my master's always been like this."

Li Hao glanced at the rank embroidery on her chest—she was the lowest-ranking junior assistant—and smiled, saying:

"You should learn from your master—study arrays more."

The girl's bright smile instantly faded; she pouted: "Why are you saying the same boring things as my master?"

The girl glanced at him, having assumed this prodigy young master, being around her age, would be lively and spirited, but instead he carried an air of old-fashioned seriousness; she silently pursed her lips, turned with her small hands behind her back, and hurried after her master out of the courtyard.

The girl glanced at him, expecting this prodigy to be as lively as her age—but he carried an air of unnatural maturity; she silently scowled, tucked her hands behind her back, and hurried after her master out of the courtyard.

"Xiang Lan, don't wander off—get ready to work," said one senior scholar, though their ages appeared vastly different—he looked over fifty.

"Y-e-s, I-k-n-o-w~"

The girl nodded her head like a pendulum, stretching each syllable.

As she spoke, her gaze swept across the new city, observing the bustling warriors—she had seen such scenes before when accompanying her master to other cities to inscribe arrays, so nothing seemed strange.

Soon, under Li Li Hongzhuang's guidance, they arrived at a section of the city wall.

As soon as they climbed the wall, a cold wind struck; Xia Xia Xianglan pulled her neck in, then her eyes naturally turned forward—and she saw an endless expanse of graves.

She froze, murmuring involuntarily: "These… are…"

Li Li Hongzhuang had just finished discussing the array with the Star Master ahead; hearing the girl's words, she turned and looked at her, speaking softly: "These are the sons of Great Yu."

Xia Xia Xianglan's heart trembled; her pupils contracted slightly; her breath seemed to halt.

This was her first time at the border, her first time seeing such a sight.

Was the ancient saying—"a thousand miles of lonely graves beyond the frontier"—truly real?

Suddenly, the girl recalled the quiet, serene smile of the boy in the courtyard—his maturity and calm now seemed to conceal countless scars beneath his skin.

Her fingers clenched unconsciously; her gaze grew solemn.

…

In the courtyard, Li Hao summoned Ren Ren Qianqian and the white fox, preparing to deal with the demon king's corpse.

Ren Ren Qianqian had ridden back the day after the battle ended; though she said nothing, Li Hao guessed she hadn't returned to Qizhou—only lingered in nearby cities, for she couldn't have arrived so quickly from Qizhou.

Li Hao said nothing of it; their interaction remained natural.

Now, they arrived at a fenced-off area within the city, where the black bird demon king's corpse lay like a small hill, surrounded by barriers.

"This demon king's body is full of treasures—how do you plan to handle it?"

Feng Feng Bo Ping appeared silently beside Li Hao, studying the demon king, still unable to suppress a sigh.

Only he and Song Song Qiumo knew the true details of the battle; it had not been widely publicized, and few knew this demon king had been slain by Li Hao.

After all, a Celestial Realm cultivator killing a Four-Establishment realm demon king was too shocking to believe.

Such information was classified intelligence—best kept secret.

Feng Feng Bo Ping asked no questions about Li Hao's strange martial state; he had watched Li Hao grow up, yet many things about him remained incomprehensible—like this demon's talent.

But none of that mattered—what mattered was that Li Hao was still the little rat he knew.

"Cook everyone a good meal."

Li Hao replied.

Feng Feng Bo Ping froze in surprise, staring at Li Hao; when he saw the boy's serious expression, he couldn't help but laugh silently, then burst out laughing.

"You kid, you've got guts."

Li Hao said: "The taste of the Demon King should be quite good; serving it to everyone is a fitting reward for their help."

"That's true," Feng Feng Bo Ping nodded with a smile. This wasn't just worthwhile—if they'd known there was Demon King meat to be had, even more cultivators would have come.

"But apart from its flesh, the Demon King's Dao Heart is a treasure—you can use it to contemplate the very foundation of its Dao, laying the groundwork for your future entry into the Four Foundations Realm."

Feng Feng Bo Ping said: "The gilded bird feathers on its back are the essence of ancient Demon King bloodline power, and also excellent material for forging divine weapons. You should collect them and take them together with your Long Xiao Sword to Wan Qi Lou, and ask them to reforge and second-cultivate them for you."

Li Hao nodded—he had thought of these things too.

These were the most precious treasures on the Demon King's body, coveted by countless others.

"Prepare containers—this Demon King's divine blood is still useful to me," Li Hao said.

(End of Chapter)