Chapter 192: Alone, He Pushes Through Three Thousand Li (Combined Chapter)

The black bird shrieked in terror, staring at the source of the flying sword.

There, a figure hurtled toward them at breakneck speed, its aerial velocity striking dread into the bird.

The black bird spun instantly to flee elsewhere, but with one wing missing, its speed plummeted; it unleashed its demonic innate ability, conjuring a phantom wing from demonic aura, while the raging winds around it parted to clear a path free of resistance.

It shot forward like an arrow—but suddenly, the surrounding space seemed to collapse, snapping inward with force.

Boom! The black bird's body was seized midair, thrashing violently.

Li Hao stepped forward, and the Long Xiao Sword spiraled back from afar, sliding smoothly into its sheath in his hand.

"So small? A Heaven Human realm cultivator?"

Li Hao studied the black bird, now in its true form, no larger than half a meter:

"I heard there's a demonic faction called Huang Tianji Hall, modeled after Huang Tianji Tower, built by a group of weak bird and beast demons who drift among demonic clans, delivering intelligence and trading it for survival, masters of concealment and reconnaissance…"

Hearing the boy's mutter, the black bird's pupils shrank, its heart pounding.

It recognized this boy—the peerless genius stationed at Tianmen Pass—how could he appear so deep in demonic territory? If killed here, even the Emperor Da Yu Divine Dynasty couldn't avenge him.

"Spare me! I'm just a humble mountain demon, cultivating by absorbing the essence of sun and moon—I've never taken a human life…"

The black bird pleaded desperately, no longer struggling.

Intelligence said this boy could tear apart demons of the Three Imperishable realm, let alone it.

"You reek of blood and flesh—you're far from clean, as you claim."

Li Hao murmured.

His gaze swept the surroundings; he unleashed his primordial spirit, its innate celestial pressure making the black bird tremble.

His primordial spirit scoured the area, tracing the black bird's demonic aura to a hilltop, where faint demonic energy gathered—likely its den.

"Let's pay a visit to your nest."

Li Hao levitated the dead black bird with his control-over-objects power and flew off.

"Spare me! I eat only demonic flesh—I never harm humans…"

The black bird shrieked in terror, pleading again.

But Li Hao ignored it.

"You—you deserve to die!"

The black bird's eyes flared with murderous rage; it suddenly lunged at Li Hao, struggling violently.

But before it could close the distance, its motion was halted by his control-over-objects power.

The black bird, in despair, glared hatred at Li Hao, then its internal energy surged violently; it spat a mouthful of blood, its demonic aura dissolving completely.

Li Hao stared in surprise—the black bird's life force was vanishing rapidly; it had chosen suicide?

"I hadn't even interrogated it yet."

Li Hao's mind stirred—could this truly be Huang Tianji Hall? Ordinary bird demons don't die so easily.

Even for Huang Tianji Hall, cultivating such resolve to die on command is remarkably rare.

Li Hao squeezed its body and saw its heart had been torn apart by demonic aura, rendered useless.

But within its neck pouch were two crimson blood-jades, like agate.

The blood-jades radiated rich, fragrant flesh-and-blood energy and potent demonic power.

Li Hao collected them—these would make excellent snacks for Little White Fox later.

Then Li Hao flew straight toward the hilltop.

…

In the Fire-Melt Cave.

The three heads of Sanxiangshou were debating whether to accept Longmen's invitation.

They had avoided discussing it in front of the Huang Tianji Hall bird demon to avoid giving it free intelligence.

"The tide is turning—Longmen's assault on Liangzhou isn't impulsive; it's been planned for a long time."

"The reward Longmen promised is substantial—I think we should risk it. Worst case, we're wanted; we can just retreat back to Da Huang Heaven."

"You're an idiot—if we join Longmen, why should we fear being wanted?"

The two side heads debated, while the largest central head remained silent.

Whoosh! Suddenly, a cool breeze swept into the cave.

All three heads turned—and saw a figure drift in.

With his arrival, the cave's scorching heat seemed to plummet sharply.

The many demons clinging like lizards to the walls, dozing peacefully, all snapped awake, their eyes—glinting with demonic ferocity—locking onto the boy who had entered.

"A human?!"

Sanxiangshou recognized the boy, froze, then its expression darkened.

"The portrait Huang Tianji Hall gave us—that's him!"

"That Li family prodigy?"

The two side heads stared at Li Hao in shock—hadn't the black bird just been sent to scout this very target?

At that moment, they saw Li Hao holding a dead black bird.

It was the very Huang Tianji Hall master who had just left here.

The central, massive head's eyes glowed crimson-gold; it gazed past Li Hao, scanning the tunnel behind him for hidden figures.

Feng Lao had followed Li Hao, but now leaned against the hillside outside the cave, sipping wine, calm and relaxed.

Too far away—Sanxiangshou could not detect Feng Feng Bo Ping's aura; it confirmed: only the boy was inside the cave.

This…

Is he here to deliver food?

"I must be dreaming."

"Is this a dream? I never want to wake up!"

The two snake heads chuckled mockingly.

The central massive head fixed its gaze on Li Hao: "Human, why are you here?"

Li Hao scanned the cave—earlier he'd sensed only faint demonic energy on the hilltop, but now inside, he saw a considerable number of demons, and one large one.

Yet, he felt a pang of disappointment: this three-headed serpent carried only the aura of the Third Imperishable realm.

Not a demon king.

"Looking for a sparring partner," Li Hao said.

"?"

"?"

"?"

All three heads of Sanxiangshou wore expressions of confusion.

This human prodigy must be mad—eighteen hundred li from Tianmen Pass, surrounded entirely by demonic territory; even if he called for help, no one could arrive in time.

Others hunt demons—you come to train? "Big brother, we should treat our guest properly."

"We know how to welcome guests."

The two snake heads sneered.

The central massive head stared at Li Hao and uttered one word: "Attack!"

Instantly, the demons on the walls shrieked and surged toward Li Hao like a wave.

Sharp, grotesque laughter erupted as they leapt en masse.

But the next moment, a clear dragon's roar rang out—then golden light erupted, swirling in a circle.

The demons rushing at Li Hao froze midair, then exploded simultaneously, their primordial spirits obliterated along with their bodies.

Among them were many Heaven Human demons—no different from lesser demons—all pierced by a single sword stroke.

Demonic blood sprayed everywhere; at the same time, Li Hao raised a finger, forming a sword-finger, and slashed toward the three-headed crimson serpent.

A vast sword aura shot forth—the three heads of Sanxiangshou instantly paled, their expressions shocked and furious.

The magma beneath them trembled, surging like a sea of fire toward Li Hao.

But the tidal wave of magma was frozen midair by Li Hao's control-over-objects power.

Simultaneously, the sword aura slashed, carving a terrible wound across the serpent's crimson scales.

"What kind of attack is this?!"

"So painful!"

"My Crimson Flame Sacred Body was shattered so easily?!"

The two side heads screamed.

The central massive head's face darkened—it finally understood why this boy dared come alone.

It was at the peak of the Third Imperishable realm, just below a demon king—or rather, it had one foot already stepped into the demon king realm, merely lacking a true Dao heart.

Yet now, before this boy, it smelled death.

"Sanxiang He Yi!"

The massive head roared.

Its body writhed, bursting from the magma; the two screaming heads rapidly sank into its serpent body.

"Big brother, kill it for us!"

"Big brother, leave it to you!"

As the two heads vanished, they screamed in fury.

The original three-headed python had become a single serpent, its aura surging violently as it spat a crimson mist, its tail lashing out toward Li Hao.

Li Hao stood motionless, but his Heavenly Manifestation suddenly appeared behind him.

With a thunderous crash, the Manifestation's massive arms seized the whipping tail, halting its force as if it weighed ten thousand tons, then yanked it sharply, spinning the crimson serpent through the air.

"You…"

The Three-Phase Head stared in horror at the boy.

…

Outside the cave, a cold wind brushed past.

Feng Bo Ping leaned against a large rock, having finished his snacks; he brushed the crumbs from his hands, then suddenly sensed something and turned toward the cave entrance.

Li Hao emerged, sword in hand, floating gracefully—his clothes untouched by a single drop of blood, as if he had merely strolled through a scenic spot.

"That fast?"

Feng Bo Ping was surprised; though he expected Li Hao to prevail, this seemed far too effortless.

"Too weak."

Li Hao shook his head slightly, disappointed—his Heavenly Manifestation alone had effortlessly crushed and slain the serpent demon.

He had even given it a chance to awaken some ancient demon king's bloodline, but the power increase was negligible.

…

Feng Bo Ping was speechless; inside, that creature had been a peak Third Immortal, equal to Li Hao's realm—and yet it had been utterly crushed? He smiled bitterly, recalling how Li Hao had once slain a demon king while in a strange state at the Heavenly Human realm; this, perhaps, was not so astonishing.

"Then what's next?"

"Keep going."

"Alright."

The two instantly transformed into two wisps of clear wind and departed from the mountaintop.

Deep within the fiery cavern, it had become a hellish pool of blood, every demon and monster slaughtered.

The Three-Phase Head's massive body had been sliced into several pieces; its blood had doused the lava, its noble serpent head crushed flat, brains oozing out, leaving only one eye intact.

The light within that eye dimmed and faded, leaving only a faint glimmer, slowly extinguishing. "Monster…"

Its final thread of soul-essence slowly sank into silence and vanished.

…

Wufeng Mountain.

Its slopes were steep, piercing the heavens like a blade.

It was called "Wufeng"—not because it lacked peaks, but because all surrounding mountains paled before it and could not be called peaks.

On its summit, two towering figures devoured voraciously; around them, branches hung numerous leather pouches—tattered, filled with human and demon flesh.

The air reeked of blood and decay; the ground was littered with remains and bones.

"Brother Yuan, that old fool from Beilin Kingdom sent us another batch of meat—plump and delicious."

"Little brother, don't rush to eat—let's play first. Human flesh, tender and fine, has its own flavor."

"Hah, true enough."

They drank deeply, tore off a snowy-white leg, and feasted heartily.

Suddenly, a whistling sound streaked through the air.

"Huh? What's this? Who dares intrude on our territory?"

Both looked up to see a finely dressed, noble-looking boy flying through the sky.

"Human?"

They blinked, startled: "Could he be from Beilin Kingdom?"

But as the boy drew near, they realized something was wrong—they could not sense his aura's depth or determine his realm.

This could mean only one thing: either he cultivated a concealment technique, or his realm surpassed theirs.

Yet both were Peak Third Immortals.

Could he be some ancient human monster, disguised as a child through reversal of aging?

Before they could ponder further, a flying sword shot toward them with a piercing whistle.

The two froze, then roared in fury, revealing their true forms.

One became a four-armed giant ape; the other, a golden-striped great tiger.

Their auras surged fiercely—both bore ancient demon king bloodlines, not ordinary beasts—and now they lunged at the boy with murderous intent.

"Taiji Qiankun Sword!"

Li Hao casually guided it; Long Xiao Sword spun midair, then a yin-yang shadow materialized before the blade, descending to crush the mountaintop.

The two beasts roared, unleashing torrents of demonic aura that engulfed hundreds of meters; each wielded their own weapons—the giant ape brandishing four, charging head-on toward the Taiji Qiankun Sword.

CRASH! The yin-yang force within the sword's light yanked all four weapons from its grasp, then severed both its arms.

One blow—and it fell from the sky.

The golden-striped tiger, however, roared and charged straight at Li Hao.

Li Hao raised his palm and pressed down slowly.

The power of his object-control gathered and plundered the natural forces within ten li, condensing into a mountain of crushing weight.

The golden-striped tiger, terrified, swiped its claws in defense—but was slammed down onto Wufeng Mountain, crushing the entire peak beneath it. Long Xiao Sword, under Li Hao's command, flashed like gold, darting swiftly through the giant ape's body, then arcing like a crescent moon—its head severed and dropped.

The sword's light plunged into the collapsed mountain below; soon, a mournful tiger howl echoed, filled with agony.

In moments, both Peak Third Immortal demons lay dead.

Long Xiao Sword shot skyward and returned to Li Hao's scabbard.

Li Hao glanced at the corpses, sent out his primordial spirit, and lifted both demons' bodies with object-control, wrapping them in a bundle—excellent spoils, rich in materials for alchemy and weapon forging.

Their flesh was also rare delicacy.

But first, their internal organs must be removed.

"Master Feng, can your Heavenly Space still hold them?"

Li Hao asked Feng Lao.

At the Dao Heart realm, one could carve out a Heavenly Space within one's Dao Heart for personal storage.

In the past, when fishing, Second Master and Feng Lao had casually pulled out fine wines and fishing rods from their Heavenly Spaces.

"These two demons are too large—they won't fit."

Feng Bo Ping appeared, shaking his head: "Heavenly Space is tiny—only good for small items."

Seeing this, Li Hao wrapped the two corpses with two dark threads and dragged them behind him.

"Let's go."

Li Hao said.

They continued onward, exploring further.

Not long after Li Hao and Feng Lao departed, a dark-blue-winged bird flew in from afar and landed on Wufeng Mountain.

Its eyes quickly took in the collapsed ruins.

The dark-blue bird froze, eyes widening in shock.

"This… also gone?"

Its azure light flickered, its body becoming a phantom as it dove down into the rubble, scanning the area.

Soon, it spotted splatters of blood and lingering demonic auras from the two great demons.

"Dead again…"

The dark-blue bird trembled violently, then shot skyward, pulling a jade whistle from its wing and blowing it sharply.

An odd wave of sound rippled out—like a signal.

In moments, within three hundred li around it, every ordinary-looking bird demon in the sky halted mid-flight.

They listened intently, as if hearing something from the still, calm air.

"Human invasion?!"

Upon hearing the message, they froze. "Invasion" was not unfamiliar—but "human" before it? That was strange…

Without hesitation, they all pulled out whistles and blew them rapidly.

The sound waves spread, carrying the message far and wide.

Only those who cultivated a specific technique could hear these whistles.

As the sound traveled, its range expanded rapidly; within moments, all birds within a thousand li halted, and two of them suddenly turned direction, flying toward another location.

Meanwhile, before the fiery cavern Li Hao had just left.

A palm-sized black bird flew in, resembling a crow.

It landed on a rock, pecked idly, and swallowed a small insect in its beak.

It looked like an ordinary bird.

But as its eyes darted and sensed no movement, it quickly swallowed the insect and flew toward the fiery cavern.

Inside, the gruesome scene unfolded.

The Three-Phase Head, severed into seven or eight pieces; corpses of demons scattered everywhere.

Within, it soon spotted a black bird's corpse.

"Master Ming!"

The crow-like bird flew swiftly to the body, examined it closely, and confirmed it had died by suicide.

"No wonder Master Ming's soul beacon shattered."

The bird's eyes showed sorrow, but then it tore open the black bird's feathers with its beak, and ripped apart its chest and flesh.

Soon, on its compressed internal organs, a vein writhed to form a demonic character.

It was an extremely brief message.

It was the final intelligence left by Master Ming before his death.

Their Huang Tianji Hall had little combat strength, but they moved among the top demonic factions, relying entirely on their mastery of intelligence gathering.

At that moment, seeing the writhing vein-form characters, the bird's pupils shrank slightly, revealing shock and horror.

"That human Li family boy dares to come alone into demonic territory?!"

It was stunned—this news, if spread, would send nearby demons into a frenzy.

Moreover, it knew countless demons harbored hatred for the Li family.

If they learned the boy's whereabouts, they would rush from ten thousand li away to kill him!

Earlier, in the pass, within Emperor Da Yu's territory, many demons had already moved to attack him, restless and eager.

The boy had four Standing Realm guardians protecting him, which had deterred some demons—but now, even if four Standing Realm cultivators secretly followed him, this was not Emperor Da Yu Divine Dynasty land; if those demons learned of him, who would let this opportunity slip? As its thoughts raced, suddenly a whistle sounded.

It froze, listened carefully, then turned pale.

"That boy is still advancing deeper! 'Too insane—is the boy trying to lure every demon to attack him?'"

It glanced at Master Ming's body on the ground, took a deep breath, and pecked apart his internal organs, destroying the lingering intelligence.

The boy's killing of Master Ming had already drawn the ire of Huang Tianji Hall.

Though Huang Tianji Hall never participates in battle, only gathers intelligence, it excels at using others' blades to kill.

Whoosh! The bird immediately took flight, leaving the lava cave.

…

As Li Hao raced across mountains and rivers, slaying demons along the way, news of Li Hao spread through Huang Tianji Hall.

One by one, birds scattered into flight, landing on hilltops everywhere.

"Huh? Where did this little demon bird come from? Looking for death."

On a hilltop, a demon sleeping soundly opened its eyelids, glanced once, and prepared to crush it.

But the next instant, the bird hurriedly said: "I am Huang Tianji Hall's Blue Bird, Hei Yun Jun—please leave at once! A human is coming this way, hunting demons."

"Huang Tianji Hall?"

The demon's claw paused slightly, then it chuckled: "What human dares come here? Do they know I'm hungry?"

"It's the human Li family prodigy, the destined True Dragon—Li Hao!"

The Blue Bird hurriedly added: "He has already killed five Third Immortal Realm elders, including Elder San Xiang Shou of the Unfading Realm—please flee at once."

Upon hearing this, Hei Yun Jun froze, his expression changing instantly.

"Li family? That damned Divine General's Mansion Li family?"

"He killed San Xiang Shou?"

He was shaken—San Xiang Shou had been somewhat renowned and influential within a thousand li of this area, and yet he had been killed.

"He's coming soon, Hei Yun Jun—please leave now!"

The Blue Bird pleaded urgently.

Hei Yun Jun snapped to his senses, dared not linger, rose swiftly, seized his treasures from the cave, and flew away.

He sent a voice transmission to the Blue Bird: "I, Hei Yun Jun, owe Huang Tianji Hall a favor—I will repay it someday."

"I must still warn other elders—I take my leave."

The Blue Bird said, then flew off into the distance.

Similar scenes unfolded elsewhere.

Many Huang Tianji Hall birds spread the news of Li Hao slaughtering demons—some demons chose to flee, while some Unfading Realm demons chose to stay, eager to test themselves against Li Hao.

To test is to die.

As Long Xiao Sword drank more and more blood, Li Hao's reputation grew ever greater—he swept three thousand li without a single opponent.

(End of Chapter)