Chapter 224: Li Tiangang

Li Xuanli was shocked. Li Hao's war banner intimidated the swarm of demons; such might exceeded his imagination, yet he could not comprehend it.

Li Qingling and Li Xueyun, who were by his side, were also stunned, feeling somewhat puzzled. Did the imperial war banners even possess such dominance?

Was the name being called out that of their grand-nephew?

"Kill!"

"If that brat won't come out, kill them all! Force him out!"

Seeing that Li Hao had yet to appear, the five Demon Kings felt provoked. The Abyss Dragon Demon King was the first to charge toward Qianji Qianji Dao Ren.

Beside him, the Giant Spider Demon King spat spider-silk blades at Li Xuanli and the others.

Li Xuanli and his group's expressions changed instantly, turning tense. Although the war banner had startled these Demon Kings, it was only a startle. If Li Hao and the Four Standing Realm expert beside him were not here, it would be of no use.

"Careful!"

Li Hongzhuang, however, wore a solemn expression and whispered, "Protect yourselves with all your might!"

Having said that, she suddenly drew the numerous war banners from her back and violently hurled one of them.

"Watch out!"

Seeing the war banner flying toward them, Master Bai Shen hurriedly shouted.

The Giant Spider Demon King reacted a beat too late. Just as he was about to dodge, the war banner, under Li Hongzhuang's telekinetic control, rapidly pursued his body.

Chased by the war banner, the Giant Spider Demon King retreated repeatedly, feeling humiliated and angry. As a dignified Demon King, was he actually forced to dodge a war banner?

He shot out a spider-silk blade to strike from a distance, severing the war banner.

The war banner ruptured and snapped, but the energy seal embedded within it was released.

*Zeng! *

A crimson-gold sword Qi soared into the sky, violently striking toward the nearest Giant Spider Demon King.

The sword Qi was vast, stirring up a ten-thousand-foot roar as it slashed toward the Giant Spider Demon King.

"Bastard!"

The Giant Spider Demon King's pupils constricted in horror. He had long known that a sword array was sealed within these war banners, but he had never personally encountered one. He hadn't expected the power erupting from this sword array to be so strong!

He spat out spider-silk blades repeatedly and roared, "Ten Thousand Swords Execute the Heavens!"

The snow-white spider-silk blades formed a sword array, appearing as if they would shatter the firmament, shooting out ten thousand snow-white rainbows that collided in succession.

But that crimson-gold sword Qi was like a heavenly gate; with one horizontal sweep, it crushed the sky-filling sword array and slashed directly at the Giant Spider Demon King.

*Puff! *

Two of the Giant Spider Demon King's legs were severed, and demon blood sprayed out.

The remaining power of the crimson-gold sword Qi, though slightly diminished, still slashed toward his head, only to be split open by Master Bai Shen, who intervened from the side.

As the sword edge vibrated, Master Bai Shen felt a chill in his heart. A mere sword array possessed such fierce might—no wonder a single military banner could suppress and kill a Three Imperishable Realm cultivator!

In the nearby demon tide, those Three Imperishable Realm demons saw this scene and felt terrified, secretly rejoicing that they had stopped in time earlier; otherwise, a major disaster would have occurred!

"Go!"

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Li Hongzhuang transmitted her voice, simultaneously throwing out two more military banners.

Two military banners whistled upward, shooting toward the Giant Spider Demon King. The Demon King beside him, whose body resembled a strange insect, immediately stepped forward to help block, but he was extremely wary and dared not destroy the war banners.

Li Hongzhuang utilized her telekinetic power to tear the war banners mid-air, and two more sword Qi blasts erupted.

"Damn it!"

The Strange Insect Demon King was furious. The blood-colored sword he spat out rotated rapidly, condensing into a sea of blood to block in front of him.

Taking this opportunity, Li Hongzhuang took Li Xuanli and the two aunts and rushed rapidly toward the magic array within the defensive line.

Qianji Qianji Dao Ren caught his breath, his mind steadying. He could see that the sword Qi power within the military banners was comparable to a full-force attack from a Dao Heart Realm cultivator. With so many more on Li Hongzhuang's back, they could be considered a major lethal weapon.

Even against five Demon Kings, they could hold out for a while.

"Don't you dare run!"

Several Demon Kings attacked in succession, stirring up sky-filling demon Qi and dust to block their path. The earth tore open, and mud claws resembling swamp dragons reached out from within, slapping toward them.

*Boom! *

Qianji Qianji Dao Ren wielded his nine-section whip to pierce through the mud claws, forcing himself through the encirclement while carrying Li Hongzhuang and the others despite his injuries.

Seeing the Demon Kings in pursuit, Li Hongzhuang unleashed several more military banners, tearing them mid-air. The erupting sword Qi was so powerful it even injured her spiritual sense.

Several sword Qi blasts swept out in an indiscriminate attack, forcibly pushing back the figures of the Demon Kings.

The shattered sword Qi transformed into countless sword shadows, covering the Demon Kings.

"Stay here!"

Seeing them about to reach the magic array, the Giant Spider Demon King ignored the sword shadows and released a massive amount of spider silk, locking onto the air in front of them, intending to capture them as if teleporting.

Yet, at this moment, his body endured the baptism of countless sword shadows.

He had long realized that the attack power of these sword shadows had weakened; even if they caused him injury, it would only be some pain.

But suddenly, one of the sword Qi blasts struck his body and seemed to seep inside.

The spider web released by the Giant Spider Demon King had just blocked Li Hongzhuang and the others, and before he could manipulate it to retract, a strong sense of warning suddenly emerged from the bottom of his heart.

His pupils constricted, and he roared in a hurry, wanting to push back the remaining sword shadows, but it was too late.

The power in his entire body faded rapidly; his soul felt as if it were being sucked away. All the power in his body, including his life force, was vanishing quickly.

"What is happening..."

The Giant Spider Demon King was terrified beyond measure. His spider eyes scanned his entire body. Although he had endured numerous sword shadows, he hadn't suffered much injury; the only real damage was the two spider legs severed just moments ago.

Yet... his consciousness was blurring.

*Thud. *

The Giant Spider Demon King fell straight down, crashing onto the ground, his soul completely extinguished.

He was only at the Dao Heart Realm; he did not have a second life.

Such a bizarre scene caused the Demon Kings who were about to pursue to pause their steps, looking at the Giant Spider Demon King in horror.

If they hadn't seen that the Giant Spider Demon King's life force had truly vanished, they would have thought this old brother had simply fallen asleep.

How could he sleep so peacefully?

"What happened?"

"Is he dead?"

"He wasn't even attacked much, how could he die?"

Several Demon Kings were terrified, feeling a sense of dread.

Master Bai Shen's pupils constricted, recalling the scene where he had sacrificed his chance at reversing fate to escape.

That feeling of a bizarre death aura approaching.

Looking at the sky-filling sword shadows, he suddenly realized the truth and roared, "Do not use your physical bodies to resist these sword Qi attacks!"

"If you touch them, you might die!!"

Hearing his roar, the other three Demon Kings were stunned.

The physical body cannot touch these sky-filling sword shadows?

These sword shadow attacks aren't strong; could it be that there is a hidden lethal move inside, or a deadly poison?

Although puzzled, thinking of the Giant Spider Demon King's death just now, it indeed seemed related to enduring these sword shadow attacks.

They immediately went all out to parry, using demon arts and weapons to block, protecting themselves.

When in doubt, it is better to be cautious.

The Giant Spider Demon King's death delayed the pursuit of the Demon Kings. At this time, the Liangzhou Commandant on the city wall saw Li Hongzhuang and the others flying toward them and shouted loudly for the generals beside him to borrow the array tokens.

Once the array tokens were in hand, he quickly rushed out of the magic array, handed the tokens to them, and brought them inside.

Upon entering the magic array, Li Hongzhuang, Li Xuanli, and the others finally felt a sense of relief.

Li Xuanli looked back, only to see his army rushing toward the magic array, but the Demon Kings, in their fury, attacked the Xuan-character Army, slapping down like giant mountains. Under the fierce attacks of the Demon Kings, the hundreds of thousands of troops had no power to resist, falling in droves, and in the blink of an eye, there were countless casualties.

Li Xuanli's eyes turned red, his fists clenched tightly.

"Father."

Li Wushuang ran over, the tear stains on her face not yet dry.

Li Xuanli glanced at her, and seeing she was unharmed, there was little joy on his face; instead, he looked with numbness and sorrow at the Xuan-character Army falling one after another in front of him.

Li Hongzhuang saw it too. She stepped out, stood on the city wall, and threw out three more military banners to cover the Xuan-character Army.

But this time, the Demon Kings had learned their lesson. Seeing the military banners, they charged directly toward the Xuan-character Army, wanting to verify if the military banner attacks truly distinguished between demons and humans.

Seeing these Demon Kings were so cunning, Li Hongzhuang's heart sank, but she did not tear the military banners; otherwise, the Xuan-character Army would also be severely damaged.

Seeing this situation, the Demon Kings realized the flaw in the military banner sword array and sneered, charging into the Xuan-character camp to slaughter them.

Successive screams rang out; outside the city, it was a one-sided slaughter.

But the people on the city wall could only watch helplessly, unable to assist.

The Demon Kings charged into the Xuan-character Army; they dared not attack from a distance, and their attacks were merely tickles to the Demon Kings.

Soon, as the numbers dwindled, the Xuan-character Army was slaughtered even faster, and in the blink of an eye, only corpses remained on the ground.

Although they fought bloody battles and burned their souls, they still could not stop them. Under the movement of the four Demon Kings, they couldn't even capture their figures.

Looking at the tragic scene of corpses flowing with blood, the many soldiers on the city wall breathed heavily, clutching their weapons, feeling ashamed and sorrowful in their hearts.

And at this moment, after the four Demon Kings finished slaughtering the Xuan-character Army to vent their anger, Li Hongzhuang angrily detonated the three military banners.

Three sword Qi blasts rushed out, pursuing the four Demon Kings.

The four Demon Kings' expressions changed slightly, and they retreated rapidly, but the sword Qi pursued all the way, shattering their demon arts. The power of this sword Qi was extremely strong, unstoppable, slashing and forcing back two Demon Kings.

Master Bai Shen was locked onto by a sword Qi blast. The rising terror in his heart made him flee rapidly into the distance, sprinting at full speed, not daring to clash with the sword Qi.

He felt aggrieved; as a dignified Demon King, he was actually forced to flee in panic by a single sword Qi blast from that brat.

"Bastard!"

The remaining three Demon Kings looked at Li Hongzhuang standing on the city wall, and the dozens of war banners behind her, their expressions ugly.

With such terrifying war banners, and twenty or thirty more left, who could withstand that?

If the opponent erupted all at once, they couldn't guarantee they wouldn't end up like the Giant Spider Demon King.

"What should we do?"

"Wait for the Great Elder to come. Send a signal to the Great Elder; only the Great Elder can solve this."

The Demon Kings looked at each other and chose to let the Tianji Hall send a signal to the Great Elder, waiting for his reinforcements.

As for them, they would first surround this place.

Seeing the Demon Kings retreat and not attack the magic array, the people on the city wall, though sorrowful, felt a secret sense of relief.

But the Demon Kings and the distant demon tide did not withdraw; they just stood quietly ten miles outside the city, where they could be seen by the naked eye.

The people on the city wall realized these Demon Kings were thinking of countermeasures, but for now, they could only wait, waiting for the arrival of their human reinforcements.

"General Hongzhuang, it's fortunate you arrived in time."

The Liangzhou Commandant glanced at the three Demon Kings standing in the air in the distance, then turned his gaze to Li Hongzhuang.

If she hadn't arrived in time with reinforcements, Li Xuanli and Qianji Qianji Dao Ren would likely have perished outside the city, and they would currently be suffering the fierce attacks of the five Demon Kings; this magic array wouldn't have lasted long.

Li Hongzhuang nodded slightly, her heart also pounding. There were five Demon Kings; if not for the war banners Li Hao gave her, even ten of her would have been useless.

Thinking of Li Hao, she couldn't help but feel worried. After she left, how was Tianmen Pass?

However, thinking of the numerous war banners on the city wall, she felt much more at ease.

"Whose war banners are these?" Li Qingling looked at this niece and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Li Hongzhuang hurriedly called out "Aunt" and then said, "These are Hao'er's war banners, Tiangang's son."

"Is that the Hao'er whose talent surpassed Little Jiu? Does he actually have such a reputation now?"

Li Qingling and Li Xueyun were both surprised. Although they had guessed it earlier, hearing Li Hongzhuang confirm it personally was still shocking.

Li Hao's reputation had spread throughout the world, and he was from the Li family. Although they had married to a place very far from Qingzhou, they had heard the news and thus paid more attention.

If she remembered correctly, that child was only fifteen this year, right?

"So it really is that Young General Haotian's." The Liangzhou Commandant thought to himself.

Previously, in the imperial court, he had questioned the Li family for treating Tianmen Pass as child's play, leaving a teenager to guard it, disregarding the lives of the people of Liangzhou. He hadn't expected that today, they would be saved because of him.

Hearing their conversation, Li Wushuang's eyes were dazed. She had already worked hard enough, but why was she getting further and further away from that cousin?

The time they were closest seemed to be that confrontation under the tree...

"Tiangang truly gave birth to a good son!"

Li Qingling looked at the numerous war banners on Li Hongzhuang's back and couldn't help but praise, "Looking at these demons, they seem to recognize the destructive power of these war banners. Compared to Little Jiu back then, Tiangang's son's reputation is several times greater."

"Indeed." Li Xueyun also praised.

Li Junye's death over a decade ago was a sore spot for the entire Li family, but today, this scar had been covered by a teenager, and it had erupted with an even more dazzling light.

"Report!"

Suddenly, a scout figure rushed over, came before the Liangzhou Commandant, and said quickly:

"Just saw a distress signal on the east side!"

"East side?"

Li Xuanli, who was still staring at the outside of the city with a numb expression, suddenly turned his head.

He stood up quickly, his injuries healing slightly during this brief pause; after all, he had taken medicine, and the medicinal power combined with his own self-healing was constantly repairing his wounds.

"We encountered five Demon Kings here. The Eastern Border is where Marquis Xing Wu guards; there should be Demon Kings there too, right?"

The Liangzhou Commandant's expression changed slightly.

Li Xuanli's expression was ugly; there were five here, and he feared there would be no fewer on the Eastern Border.

"Is Seventh Brother calling for help?"

Li Hongzhuang's expression also changed, and she said quickly, "I will go to support!"

"I will go too." Li Qingling said immediately, "I still have combat power."

"Me too." Li Xueyun said, "My Power of Non-Decay hasn't been used yet."

"Two Aunts, you shouldn't go."

Li Hongzhuang shook her head immediately and said, "If the Demon Kings pursue, you going will be useless. I will use these war banners of Hao'er to fight, and I can still intimidate the Demon Kings."

Having said that, she did not delay, asked for two array tokens, and stepped into the air. ===== CHAPTER 225 =====