Chapter 193: Facing the Four Directions (Combined Chapter)

Three thousand li beyond the pass.

In a valley shrouded in toxic mists and poisonous vapors.

Inside stood a pavilion, where flocks of birds, each enveloped in swirling winds, darted through the poisonous fog and landed within the pavilion.

A magical array inside the pavilion kept the toxic mists and poisonous vapors at bay.

Many birds perched on the balustrades and divine pillars; some landed and transformed into childlike forms—small, delicate, and radiant.

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This was a branch pavilion of Huang Tianji Hall.

Among demonic forces, Huang Tianji Hall held status equal to Longmen and Shenggong; though its overall combat strength was weak, its hall master was profoundly mysterious, and its bird demons controlled vast intelligence networks, moving freely among factions with extensive connections, making all major powers heavily reliant on them.

"Have you all received the news? That boy is slaughtering demons everywhere!"

"How brazen—he dares invade our demonic territory alone! This isn't the Great Yu Divine Dynasty!"

"It's only because the Wanshan Demon King and others fled the border—we had no one to hold back that boy. He must have a Fourth-Stage cultivator secretly accompanying him."

"Earlier, when the boy traveled from Qingzhou to Liangzhou, that Fourth-Stage cultivator protected him, deterring the Demon Kings from risking an incursion to kill him. Now that he's ventured deep alone, he's walking straight into his own death!"

Seven or eight children of varied appearances and short statures gathered together; their leader was a girl resembling thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a red dress, delicate and luminous, yet with a cold, ancient expression.

"Tianren Zongshi Ming is dead—killed by that boy!"

A boy in black robes whispered.

His voice was childish, yet his eyes were dark and grim.

The others remained silent; they had already learned the news through the earlier warning calls.

Huang Tianji Hall moved among all the demons, yet no demon dared attack them—unless they were some madman.

But if any demon harmed Huang Tianji Hall, they would pay with their lives!

Now, this human dares to kill our Tianren Zongshi Ming—he must suffer the same fate!

"You've already spread the word, right? I just contacted other provinces—this boy's name is now known. Those great demons and Demon Kings who harbor hatred for the Li family will surely come!"

"As long as this boy stays here, he's certain to die!"

The girl in red robes spoke, her eyes like clear snow, her voice icy.

The other children nodded, their eyes filled with murderous intent.

"Have you identified the Fourth-Stage cultivator secretly accompanying that boy?"

The girl in red robes asked next.

Several children exchanged glances; another girl, dressed in green and finely sculpted like jade, shook her head:

"At first, we thought it was Fourth Uncle of the Li family, but I personally investigated—he never left the Dead River."

"It's not Fourth Uncle of the Li family."

Another child, with snow-white hair, shook his head, a cold sneer in his eyes: "You could never guess who it is. When the Wanshan Demon King attacked, I watched that battle from afar. His attack techniques were deliberately concealed—but I still recognized them."

"I reviewed the archives and found connections to the Buddhist Sect incident thirty years ago. If I'm not mistaken, that man is the Thief Saint, Feng Bo Ping!"

"What?"

Hearing this, the others were stunned.

The many bird demons listening nearby also widened their eyes.

"The Thief Saint? He's protecting that boy?"

"So the Divine General's Mansion is secretly linked to the Thief Saint?"

"My heavens—if the Buddhist Sect finds out, the Li family won't survive this."

"Not just the Buddhist Sect—even if the other Divine General's Mansions learn this, it's a top-tier secret worth a fortune!"

They grew excited—this was a rare vulnerability of the Li family. But so far, they only knew the Thief Saint was protecting the boy; they had no concrete evidence linking him to the Divine General's Mansion.

Merely the fact of protection alone wouldn't impact the Divine General's Mansion.

After all, the Thief Saint could protect whomever he wished—it was his right. Without irrefutable proof, it would only be baseless slander.

"I'll report this to the Hall Tianren Zongshi. Our Elders will investigate personally—follow the trail, and if we find evidence, it'll be a tremendous boon for us."

The girl in red robes' eyes gleamed with excitement as she spoke.

Huang Tianji Hall survived on intelligence—knowledge was their greatest weapon.

The higher the value of the intelligence they held, the greater their advantage.

At that moment, a bird pierced the toxic mists and landed inside the pavilion.

"Report, Elder—the boy just killed the Old Ancestor of Pingshan and is heading this way."

The bird demon spoke in the voice of an old woman.

"What? The Old Ancestor of Pingshan is dead too?!"

The other bird demons were stunned.

He was a Great Demon of the Unfading Realm—comparable to the Three Phases' leaders, cultivated for ten thousand years, nearly half a step into the Fourth Stage—how could he be dead?

"Didn't he flee?"

"Didn't anyone warn him?"

"They warned him. He wanted to test the boy—said he wanted to see what this brat was capable of."

"..."

All the bird demons fell silent.

The girl in red robes' face darkened: "This toxic mist won't stop his detection. This boy can tear apart Three Imperishables—he's terrifying! We scatter immediately. Use the Yu Xuan Yin Whistle to communicate. One Demon King is already en route—I'll go meet him and ask him to wait until others arrive, so we can destroy the boy together."

"Yes."

The many bird demons nodded.

Soon, the birds flew out from the hidden toxic valley.

Their wings carried innate vortex techniques that repelled surrounding mists, carving clear paths.

As the birds scattered, the pavilion emptied instantly, left hollow and silent.

…

…

Within Tianmen Pass.

Li Li Hongzhuang stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance—still no sign of Li Hao's return. A faint unease stirred in her chest, a strange, thudding sensation.

It felt like a premonition of danger.

"General, hasn't Young Tianren Zongshi General Hao Tian returned yet?"

A Grand Tianren Zongshi approached to ask.

Li Li Hongzhuang blinked. "What did you call him?"

"Young Tianren Zongshi General Hao Tian," the Grand Tianren Zongshi replied, startled.

Li Li Hongzhuang's expression shifted slightly. Earlier, Li Hao had earned great merit defending Dayue City and now Tianmen Pass. His Majesty had granted him the rank of Young General—a decree already circulated in court and returned to the Li family in Qingzhou.

Now, banners bearing Li Hao's name fluttered everywhere on the walls—"General Hao Tian" waved proudly. Most in the city had begun calling him by this title.

No one called him "Young Tianren Zongshi Li" anymore.

Perhaps behind closed doors, they still remembered he was born into the Li family, bearing that noble Divine General's surname—but over time, would anyone still remember?

Li Li Hongzhuang's thoughts drifted until the Grand Tianren Zongshi asked again, pulling her back.

She frowned slightly. "Why are you looking for him?"

"General, it's not me—it's the Star Tianren Zongshi. He wants to see Young Tianren Zongshi General Hao Tian."

The Grand Tianren Zongshi said: "Their array seems complete. They'd like him to test it."

Li Li Hongzhuang glanced toward the distance. "I'll go check."

She took flight and soon arrived at the opposite side of the wall.

She landed. The Star Tianren Zongshi, an old man, waited with several students.

"General."

Seeing her crimson battle armor and the general's insignia on her shoulders, the Star Tianren Zongshi bowed slightly.

Li Li Hongzhuang didn't dare be arrogant—she quickly returned the bow. "You've all worked hard."

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"It's our duty."

The Star Tianren Zongshi glanced around. "Where's Young Tianren Zongshi General Hao Tian?"

Li Li Hongzhuang's brow twitched almost imperceptibly. "He went beyond the pass to kill demons."

"When did he leave? I didn't see any troops mobilize."

Behind her, Xia Xia Xianglan asked curiously.

Li Li Hongzhuang looked at her. "He went alone. No troops."

"Alone?"

Xia Xia Xianglan blinked. "Why not take troops? Isn't it dangerous?"

"..."

Li Li Hongzhuang was caught off guard by this seemingly casual question. Answer "no"? Of course it was dangerous.

Answer "yes"? Then how could she let the boy go alone?

She paused briefly, then said: "Beyond the pass is perilous. Our soldiers can't keep up with him—they'd only be a burden."

As she spoke, she felt a sudden heat rise to her cheeks.

What had once seemed ordinary now felt embarrassingly awkward to say.

They were guarding the border too, but it seemed they were just here to go through the motions.

"Is he really that strong?" Xia Xia Xianglan asked, astonished, looking at her.

Li Li Hongzhuang fell into a brief silence. Yes, that boy had already become extremely powerful.

So powerful that even her, his little aunt, couldn't keep up with his pace.

Perhaps, if Ninth Brother were still alive, he might have been able to stand shoulder to shoulder with that boy—perhaps waiting for him further ahead, in some distant horizon.

"Xia Xianglan, don't be disrespectful."

Though the Star Tianren Zongshi old man disliked small talk and socializing, he wasn't blind to the atmosphere. The rumors surrounding that boy and the Li family had been too loud—he'd heard them too. He turned to Li Li Hongzhuang and said:

"General, do you know when the Young General will return?"

"..."

Li Li Hongzhuang said nothing. She had no precise news. When Li Hao left, he said nothing at all.

Seeing Li Li Hongzhuang's silence, the Star Tianren Zongshi old man glanced at her with a faintly curious expression, then said no more, only:

"In that case, we'll wait a few more days until the Young General returns."

"Thank you for your patience."

Li Li Hongzhuang finally replied.

"Has he always been like this?"

Xia Xia Xianglan asked Li Li Hongzhuang.

Li Li Hongzhuang frowned, pretending not to hear. The girl's words left her feeling powerless to answer.

Seeing herself ignored, Xia Xia Xianglan merely pouted slightly. Once her master and Li Li Hongzhuang had walked ahead, she turned her gaze to the snow-covered land beyond the city, where the snow was beginning to melt:

"What kind of demon is he fighting out there?"

Three thousand li beyond the pass.

A dragon-bird, its body shimmering with seven-colored radiant light, fled in panic, darting swiftly between mountain peaks, its feathers shaking loose and scattering constantly.

Behind it, a golden divine light shot forward, suddenly accelerating and slashing toward its wings.

The dragon-bird roared in fury, flapping its wings to summon thunder and wind, waves of lightning crashing down like a dense storm toward the nearby area.

But the golden divine light abruptly curved into an arc, like a crescent moon, slicing toward another point—its sharp edge swiftly carving open a gash along the dragon-bird's flank, its internal organs nearly spilling out.

It screamed in agony, its eyes filled with terror: "I've done nothing to you! Why are you forcing me to death?!"

Li Hao's figure appeared silently from another direction, raising his fist and unleashing a torrent of martial energy that seemed to seal the air around the dragon-bird, crushing the entire surrounding field with a single punch.

The dragon-bird let out a mournful cry and slammed hard into a mountain peak, cratering it, sending boulders tumbling into the ravine below.

The golden divine light followed closely, darting into the dust and piercing straight through the dragon-bird's skull before it could rise.

"You..."

The dragon-bird widened its eyes in defiance, filled with terror and rage as it stared at the approaching boy—but it had no strength left to rise.

Long Xiao Sword flew back into its sheath. Li Hao looked at the lifeless dragon-bird, shook his head slightly, then released a dark thread to coil around its corpse and drag it upward.

Then he retracted the other dark threads, and from afar, shadowy forms flew toward him like kites—each one the corpse of a demon he had slain along the way.

Li Hao shot into the sky, the corpses dragging behind him like kites, a spectacular sight.

He swept across three thousand li, pushing from west to east. What disappointed him was that he never once encountered the shadow of a demon king—only demons at the peak of the Unfailing Realm.

"Are there really only three demons beyond this pass?"

Li Hao felt frustrated.

So far, he'd barely warmed up.

Pressing forward, Li Hao flew over several peaks, his spiritual sense sweeping the surroundings to scout ahead.

On some peaks, he detected demon dens—but they were already empty.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen this. He frowned, scanning the area. Earlier, he'd occasionally spotted flying minor demons, which he'd crushed casually. Now, even those were hard to find.

"These demons seem to have known I was coming—and fled ahead of time."

"Is it the Huang Tianji Hall demons spreading word?"

Li Hao sighed inwardly. He'd practically walked right into their trap—and yet the demons had run. It was simply unreasonable.

He flew on for a while, passing several empty peaks, finding no trace of demons. He grew bored, landed on a large mountain, and the demons' corpses tied to his dark threads settled beside him.

"Wind Old Man, bring me some wine."

Li Hao called out.

A wine gourd flew through the air—but Wind Old Man's figure remained unseen:

"Drink less. This wine is strong."

"Strong is better."

Li Hao chuckled, popped the cork, and took two swigs.

A few wild mountain birds flew over and landed on the ground, pecking at fallen mountain fruits.

These birds were not demons—just ordinary animals.

Li Hao glanced at them, uninterested, took two more sips, then suddenly looked again at the birds.

The birds were searching the ground for fallen fruit and crawling insects.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Suddenly, with a series of sharp pops, the birds' bodies exploded—crushed by his telekinetic force.

He released dark threads, extending them outward, weaving them into a net.

Then he resumed drinking.

Dozens of li away, a demon bird, its demonic aura completely concealed and appearing as an ordinary bird, suddenly let out a low grunt of pain.

Blood seeped from its eyes, but it quickly buried its head beneath its wings, afraid of being detected.

Once it stabilized its injury, it calmed its racing heart and took flight.

"Can he really sense that? I only borrowed the sight of those birds using the Divine Eye Technique."

It felt exposed, panic rising—it dared not linger.

Suddenly, as it took flight, it brushed against something like a taut string.

Before it could react, the dark thread snapped taut, recoiling and wrapping tightly around its body, dragging it rapidly toward a point.

"What is this?!"

The bird demon panicked, struggling desperately—but the threads dug deep into its flesh, biting into its bones.

It watched helplessly as it was dragged toward a mountain peak—the very one where the boy stood. Its heart shattered. It let out a furious roar.

Thud.

The bird's body rolled to Li Hao's feet—lifeless. It had chosen suicide.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Just like the earlier black bird—these Huang Tianji Hall demon birds were all so well-trained? They'd rather die than give their enemy a chance to interrogate them.

"It seems that with the Huang Tianji Hall involved, hunting these demons on a large scale will be troublesome indeed."

Li Hao murmured to himself.

He retracted the dark thread, slapped his palm down, crushing the bird demon's corpse into pulp, then returned the wine gourd to Wind Old Man and rose again, shooting forward.

He wanted to see just how many demons the Huang Tianji Hall's birds could scare off.

Li Hao continued flying east. When he passed a valley choked with toxic mists, he detected an empty pavilion inside and casually smashed it to rubble.

Every den or sanctuary opened by the demons he encountered along the way, he destroyed—leaving ruin in his path.

As Li Hao swept across the land, a thousand li away, on the border of Liangzhou, several figures flew toward him.

These figures radiated powerful demonic energy. Leading them was a middle-aged man in white robes, handsome of face, eyes gleaming with divine radiance.

The other four figures, seeing him, were startled and hurriedly bowed:

"Lord Fengshan Jun!"

The man in white glanced at them coldly: "Do you also bear grudges against the Li family?"

"Yes."

The four nodded quickly, tense before him.

After all, this was a demon king.

At that moment, two birds flew in—one ahead, one behind. The leading red bird shrank, transforming into a girl dressed in a red skirt.

"Lord Fengshan Jun!"

She bowed respectfully to the man in white, then nodded slightly to the other four: "Please wait a moment—Bai Bai Shenjun is also on his way."

"Bai Bai Shenjun?"

The man in white frowned slightly. He hadn't expected the other to come—but that one had clashed with the Li family for over a decade in Yanbei, and their grudge ran deep. It was natural he'd come for such an opportunity.

"How long until he arrives? If he's too slow, I won't wait," Lord Fengshan Jun said.

The girl in red opened her mouth to answer—then suddenly paused, lifting her gaze toward the distance.

Several figures flew toward them. Leading them was a young man in pure white robes, hands clasped behind his back, gliding effortlessly through the heavens with elegant poise.

Behind him, several others were grotesque in appearance, varying in height.

Lord Fengshan Jun sensed something, turned his head, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"He's here."

The girl in red smiled faintly. As the newcomer arrived, she bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Bai Bai Shenjun."

The young man in white glanced at Lord Fengshan Jun and smiled: "You came too."

Lord Lord Fengshan nodded slightly, his eyes cold—the man was from the Shenggong, not allied with the power behind him.

"I've come recently only for personal business. Since we're all enemies of the Li family, we're temporary allies."

Bai Bai Shenjun smiled. "Let's go see what this Li boy is relying on."

Lord Lord Fengshan merely nodded, saying nothing.

"Ziyu, guide these two lords." The girl in red robes spoke to the purple bird beside her.

After watching them depart, the girl in red robes flew off toward the distance:

"The Li family really has gathered many enemies."

…

Li Hao smashed a cave with one stomp, preparing to head far away, when suddenly he heard the old man's voice in his mind:

"Little rat, a demon king has arrived."

Li Hao's eyes lit up; he looked around, unleashed his spiritual sense, and sent out threads of darkness.

Soon, in his spiritual sense, he saw several figures racing toward him from afar.

The two leading figures made no effort to hide their demonic aura; as they flew, the aura above their heads swirled like dark clouds, echoing like a dragon and phoenix in chorus, radiating terrifying pressure.

Li Hao narrowed his eyes—two at once? They clearly came prepared.

He flung the bound demonic corpses to another mountain peak, avoiding interference with the coming battle.

Then, his blood qi began to slowly ripple, warming up.

"It's over there."

The purple bird pointed, then halted.

Several demons, seeing this, paid no mind—they had already spotted the boy. They found it amusing that he didn't flee, but stood waiting.

He truly has no fear!

"Indeed, a Four-Station cultivator hides nearby—but only one."

Bai Bai Shenjun narrowed his eyes, sensing the hidden powerhouse.

"You hold off the Four-Station one; I'll deal with this brat!"

Lord Lord Fengshan spoke at once, hatred and killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Bai Bai Shenjun's gaze flickered slightly; he glanced at him and said, "Fine."

Seeing him so agreeable, Lord Lord Fengshan secretly exhaled in relief—he had come here to kill this Li bloodline with his own hands.

"Attack!"

He gave the order but did not charge first.

The boy stood still—this was too strange. Though he was a demon king and confident he could easily kill him, years of caution made him choose to observe first.

The several Three-Indestructible demons beside him now hesitated.

They had seen the pile of demonic corpses Li Hao had tossed onto the distant peak—all of them Three-Indestructible, yet flung away like kites.

According to intelligence from Huang Tianji Hall, this boy had slain many Three-Indestructible demons; alone, they doubted they could kill him.

"What? Didn't you come for revenge? Afraid?"

Lord Lord Fengshan sneered at their hesitation, his eyes blazing with fury.

Seeing this, the demons felt helpless but took comfort in their numbers—they could cover for each other.

"Go! Strike together!"

The several Three-Indestructible demons quickly conferred, then flew straight at Li Hao.

They revealed their true forms at once—massive bodies appeared in the sky, demonic aura surging like tidal waves.

Li Hao stood still; only when the great demons reached within hundreds of meters did he strike.

He breathed in a divine qi, drawing heaven and earth's power, crushing the air above.

Long Xiao Sword hissed as it unsheathed, blinding golden light exploding outward.

"Kill!"

A giant turtle-like demon roared forward first, relying on its thick hide to block Li Hao's attack and buy time for the others.

Long Xiao Sword slashed down, striking its indestructible body—yet only scraped a tiny notch.

Li Hao's eyes widened; golden mist surged along Long Xiao Sword, a dragon's roar rang out, and a true dragon took form.

Roar!

Long Xiao Sword slashed down again, shattering the demon's protective aura and cleaving straight through its neck, tearing open a massive wound.

Meanwhile, the other demons had roared their way to Li Hao's front.

Whoosh!

A giant ape-like demon suddenly drew a bow—a massive demonic iron bow, crudely made yet glowing with intense silver frost, fired an arrow from afar.

Another demon, resembling a giant rat but covered in dragon scales, its blood mixed with true dragon lineage, leaped forward at speed, spewing black demonic mist to rot and devour Li Hao's body.

Facing the dual assault, Li Hao's expression turned icy; he raised his hand and slammed it downward.

The force spanning heaven and earth crashed down—BOOM! The demons' bodies shuddered as if struck by a mountain.

The flying frost arrow veered off course, striking the dragon-rat instead.

The dragon-rat's black mist was instantly swept away by Li Hao's palm.