Chapter 198

Tianmen Pass, Cangya City.

The city's magical array had been fully constructed; squads of Blood Wraith Army troops and volunteer cultivators patrolled the ramparts, watching for demonic activity.

Li Li Hongzhuang, clad in bright red battle armor, ascended the ramparts and gazed at the horizon beyond the pass, her brow furrowed.

"It's been two days—why hasn't the child returned…"

She was deeply worried.

Though the three demon kings were wanted by the Demon Suppression Bureau and likely fled their lairs, they might still be lurking nearby, and Li Hao might stumble upon them.

Their blood feud ran deep, and beyond the pass lay demonic territory—extremely perilous.

"Li Ye."

After long contemplation, Li Li Hongzhuang suddenly spoke, summoning her deputy.

She intended to send a elite scout to investigate the lairs of the three demon kings.

A middle-aged deputy approached her, but suddenly, distant cries of shock erupted.

The deputy and Li Li Hongzhuang tensed instinctively, turning toward the commotion, then followed the soldiers' gazes to the eastern side beyond the pass.

There, in the blue sky, a dark dot appeared, gradually expanding like a floating hill approaching.

"Demonic attack?"

Li Li Hongzhuang's expression changed; she stepped forward, pressing her palm against the rampart wall as she stared intently.

When her vision sharpened and she recognized the shape of the shadow, her grim expression froze.

"Hao… Hao'er?"

Zzzt!

Li Hao flew toward the pass, his back dragging a multitude of demon corpses bound by fishing line, floating like kites beneath him, taut with tension.

Seeing the city walls, Li Hao felt a long-missed sensation and accelerated his flight.

As Li Hao entered the pass, the soldiers on the ramparts clearly saw the horrifying sight—stunned, they erupted into cries of shock.

"It's Young Master General Hao Tian!"

"Are these all the demons Young Master killed?"

"My heavens, these are all Three Imperishable Realm demons—how many are there?!"

The Blood Wraith Army soldiers remained relatively restrained, but the reinforcements from outside burst into continuous exclamations.

Three Imperishable Realm great demons were rarely seen; they were rulers of vast territories, commanding hundreds or even thousands of li, exceedingly rare.

Now, they were like a net full of fish, dangling midair from Li Hao's line—all dead.

With Li Hao's return, word spread through the entire city; upon hearing he had slain numerous great demons, everyone rushed over in excitement.

Li Hao returned to the city and dumped the demon corpses onto the open ground where the Black Bird King's body had previously been laid. When he saw Li Li Hongzhuang racing toward him, he smiled and said:

"Keep an eye on these for me—I'll treat everyone to a feast later."

"..."

Li Li Hongzhuang stared blankly, then stammered: "These… all killed by you? How far did you go?"

"Not far. Just took a casual stroll outside."

Li Hao replied casually.

Li Li Hongzhuang eyed him skeptically—how could "not far" yield so many great demons?

She suspected Li Hao hadn't just gone to the three demon kings' lairs a thousand li away—he'd gone much farther.

"Did you visit the lairs of those three demon kings? Are they empty now?" she asked.

Li Hao nodded. "They all fled."

Li Li Hongzhuang exhaled in relief. "Good they fled. As long as you're unharmed. With your talent, why rush into danger now? Train for ten years—you'll likely reach the Four Establishment Realm. Then you can roam freely without risk."

She had absolute faith in Li Hao.

At twenty-four, entering the Four Establishment Realm would still be far ahead of everyone else, shattering all records.

After all, most cultivators would be overjoyed to reach the Three Imperishable Realm by twenty-four—considered a top-tier genius.

She'd only recently learned that Li Hao's father, her seventh brother, was also extraordinarily gifted—he entered the Three Imperishable Realm at twenty-three. So if Li Hao reached the Four Establishment Realm at twenty-four, how astonishing would that be!

Li Hao heard her words and gave her a strange look.

Was this little aunt cursing him?

Ten years to reach the Four Establishment Realm—what a cruel curse…

"I'm tired. I'll rest now."

Li Hao said.

Li Li Hongzhuang snapped back to reality, noticing his tattered clothing, and her face paled. "Are you badly injured?"

"A bit."

Li Hao said: "Need two full days of sleep."

"..."

After bidding Li Li Hongzhuang farewell, Li Hao returned to the bamboo-fenced courtyard and noticed Ren Ren Qianqian approaching—he sensed her qi had transformed, her entire body radiating a subtle inner luminescence.

"Reached the Spirit Travel Realm?"

Li Hao smiled.

Ren Ren Qianqian was one year younger than him, only thirteen—entering the Spirit Travel Realm now was quite impressive.

Most Nine-Rank Battle Body prodigies, even when joining major sects, only reached Spirit Travel at fourteen and Fifteen Li at sixteen.

Beyond that, talent determined progress: those with high comprehension reached the Heavenly Person Realm by eighteen or nineteen, maintaining their rapid breakthrough pace—true prodigies.

Those with low comprehension might take twenty or thirty years; the worst might not reach it until forty or fifty.

"Young Master, are you hurt?"

Ren Ren Qianqian gasped softly, staring at his torn clothes, her eyes filled with worry and anguish.

Li Hao smiled, handing her his sword. "Minor injuries—already healed. Just find me new clothes."

Ren Ren Qianqian took Long Xiao's sword, heard his words, glanced at his exposed skin, saw no wounds, and relaxed slightly. "I'll get them right away."

She then ran off with the sword toward the courtyard's room.

Li Hao entered the courtyard's tea pavilion, picked up the teapot, shook it, found water inside, and drank straight from the spout.

Two days of fighting had left him thirsty.

Soon after, Ren Ren Qianqian rushed back with fresh clothes; Li Hao took them and went to the bathhouse.

After washing his entire body and rinsing the blood from his hair, he emerged in new attire—fresh and clean.

The white fox waited outside; Li Hao bent down, picked it up, and rubbed its fluffy head, then returned to the tea pavilion, refilled the teapot, and smiled:

The little white fox waited outside the door; Li Hao bent down, picked it up, and rubbed its fluffy head, then went to the tea room and poured a fresh pot of hot tea, smiling:

"I'll pass. Too many eyes in the city now."

Old Man Feng's voice drifted into his ears.

⊙ttkΛn⊙co

Li Hao's smile faded slightly, but after a brief silence, he lifted the teapot and table, told Ren Ren Qianqian and the white fox to mind their own business, then flew into the air toward a hill just beyond the city.

Li Hao's smile faintly faded, but after a brief silence, he picked up the teapot and tea table, told Ren Ren Qianqian and the white fox to mind their own business in the courtyard, then took to the sky and flew to a hilltop not far from the city.

Li Hao set up the tea table, poured tea himself, and gestured politely.

"You damn fool."

Feng Bo Ping's figure materialized, drifting like a gentle breeze to sit across from him.

"I don't need your tea," Feng Bo Ping said, yet lifted the cup and drained it in one gulp, his face filled with amusement and pride.

"Old man here doesn't lack for even a sip of your tea," Feng Bo Ping said, yet still lifted the cup and drained it in one gulp, his face full of delight and satisfaction.

Li Hao said.

He poured himself a cup, sat atop the hill, where icy winds whipped his face—but his Supreme Body naturally repelled them, and his true energy surrounded the teapot, keeping the tea hot.

He then poured himself a full cup, sat atop the hilltop, where the cold wind whipped his face—but was automatically blocked by his Supreme Body, not a single chill penetrating, while his true energy enveloped the teapot, keeping the tea from cooling.

Feng Bo Ping gazed at the horizon, exhaled slowly, steam rising from his lips.

Feng Bo Ping gazed at the sky and earth ahead, exhaled softly, warm steam rising from his lips with the tea.

With the great battle over, both men finally relaxed, sharing tea in quiet comfort.

When the teapot was empty, Li Hao rose, bid farewell to Old Man Feng, and returned to the bamboo-fenced courtyard.

Ren Ren Qianqian had been practicing swordplay; seeing Li Hao return, she rushed over. "Young Master, did you go far these past two days?"

"Not far. Just a few thousand li." Li Hao smiled, holding the white fox that leapt into his arms—yet he noticed its crimson eye hue was fading, its spirit slightly improved.

Ren Ren Qianqian gasped, then sighed dejectedly: "Young Master, you've already reached the summit. When will I ever catch up to you?"

Though her cultivation pace was fast, compared to Li Hao, she was ten thousand li behind—she feared she'd grow ever more distant from his deeds.

Her current cultivation pace, though fast enough, paled by tens of thousands of miles compared to Li Hao's; she feared that in the future she would take part in his endeavors even less, drifting further and further apart.

Li Hao smiled. "I'll come down to see you."

Ren Ren Qianqian froze, gazing at him, her eyes shimmering.

Soon after Li Hao's return, numerous cultivators arrived at the bamboo-fenced courtyard, their voices noisy; after learning their purpose, Li Hao understood they wished to enlist in the army.

But they didn't want to join Li Li Hongzhuang's Blood Wraith Army—they wanted to serve under Li Hao.

Li Hao didn't resist; the Emperor had granted him a generalship, giving him the right to recruit troops, albeit with limited scale.

Yet accommodating these reinforcements was more than enough.

After all, only one or two thousand cultivators remained, and only seven or eight hundred were willing to enlist.

After all, the number of warriors willing to stay now is only one or two thousand, and among them, only seven or eight hundred are willing to come serve.

Li Hao immediately pulled up a small stool in the fenced courtyard, had Ren Ren Qianqian handle registration, and had each person step forward to demonstrate their talents, assigning positions based on their cultivation realm and other abilities.

Some were suited for reconnaissance, others for frontline charges, and some for the kitchen crew to assist him.

Days passed in this leisurely time of laughter and cheer.