Chapter 267

Liangzhou, on the Longguan Road.

Li Tiangang, clad in a marshal's golden armor, galloped over.

Although Liangzhou is peaceful now, a great battle could break out at the Longcheng Mo River outside the borders at any time, so he had not yet removed his armor.

After many years, stepping onto this Longguan Road again, Li Tiangang felt a bit nostalgic. When he saw the clean and empty road on the Longguan Road, he was a bit surprised.

Since the Third Brother and the Sixth Brother died guarding the Longguan Road, the demons here became more and more rampant. It is said that pedestrians leaving the city near the border have been repeatedly attacked by demons, indicating that many demons have already sneaked into the territory from both sides of the Longguan Road.

But he couldn't blame Li Hongzhuang, who took over the guard here. The little sister is a woman, yet she not only put on armor and went to the battlefield, but the demon forces outside Tianmen Pass were rampant, with three Demon Kings deterring them; being able to guard that pass was already not easy.

The heavy casualties reported in the military reports every year were enough to show how difficult it was to guard this place.

This was also the reason for shrinking the defense line and abandoning Tianmen Pass.

Originally, he wanted to let that child come and see the dangers of the battlefield, but he didn't expect that the pass that was about to be abandoned had now become the most stable place in Liangzhou.

Even in such a catastrophe, the demon army of millions chose to avoid its route and changed to attacking from elsewhere.

Li Tiangang's eyes flickered slightly. Looking at the ancient road and green cypresses in front of him, while feeling surprised, a bit of secret pride also welled up in his heart.

Thinking of the face of that child he was about to see, his eyes became a bit eager. Although it was only an avatar, when he saw Li Hao risking his life to lure away the three Demon Kings earlier, he felt a sense of heartbreak; that was the only son he had with Qingqing.

Whenever others talked about how outstanding and amazing Li Hao's talent was, although he remained calm on the surface, and even a bit cold, he couldn't help but feel proud and satisfied in his heart.

That was his, Li Tiangang's, son! "Guest, have a cup of tea?"

A clear voice interrupted Li Tiangang's thoughts.

Li Tiangang walked along and saw the tea stall nearby. He raised his eyebrows slightly and said: "Old man, there are no patrols around this Longguan Road, and demons appear at any time. Do you dare to set up a stall here?"

The tea stall owner laughed: "General, you are talking about the past, right? It's not like that here anymore. Don't you know? Ever since Young General Haotian took command of Tianmen Pass, no demons have dared to set foot here. In my opinion, the Imperial City might not even be this safe!"

Li Tiangang's eyes darkened slightly, and he said: "Old man, you are also at that age. The Imperial City is not something that can be offended easily. You should be careful in the future!"

The tea stall owner realized he had made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly apologized with a smile: "Yes, yes, I talked too much. General, would you like a cup of tea?"

"Even if there are no demon attacks, there is no one here, so where do you get business?"

Li Tiangang scanned the empty Longguan Road, thought for a moment, and casually took out a silver ingot.

Although he was a general, he had the habit of carrying some money when traveling. Since he was a child, he had received education from his father, Li Tianzong: as a Great Yu general, one must never easily use the things of the common people, otherwise, what is the difference between an official soldier and a bandit? "That's too much."

The tea stall owner was flattered when he saw the silver ingot and hurriedly wanted to give him change.

But Li Tiangang had already walked straight forward: "No need for change."

"Hey, General, I haven't served you tea yet!"

"You can have a cup yourself."

Watching the golden-armored general leave, the old man at the tea stall wiped the silver ingot and put it into his bosom, beaming with joy:

"Full of murderous aura, but he is also a kind-hearted person."

Before Cangya City.

Li Tiangang looked at this magnificent new city, his eyes narrowed slightly. The city walls were filled with flags, fluttering with that familiar prestige.

On the Longguan Road along the way, he also saw several battle flags one after another, guessing that it should be these battle flags that made the Longguan Road so peaceful.

At this moment, the city-guarding general on the city wall also saw Li Tiangang and immediately recognized the marshal's battle armor on his body. They were all shocked, and someone immediately flew off the city wall, stepped forward, and said respectfully: "Greetings, Marshal!"

Li Tiangang nodded slightly and said: "Where is Li Hao?"

The general's heart jumped. In their city, they all addressed him as Young General Haotian and were forbidden from mentioning Li Hao's original name.

But he recognized this marshal as that famous Duke, the Grand Duke of Xing Wu.

"Are you asking about the original body of General Haotian, or..."

"What do you think?"

Li Tiangang coldly interrupted his words.

The general's expression changed slightly, thinking he was also confused. Young General Haotian went to reinforce Liangzhou and achieved shocking military merits, which had already spread to the Imperial City. Even they knew that General Haotian's original body was not here, so how could the Grand Duke of Xing Wu in front of him not know?

"General Haotian is in the city..."

"Take me to see him."

Li Tiangang ordered.

The general respectfully agreed and immediately led the way in front.

The general entered the city and walked extremely fast, but Li Tiangang walked very slowly, observing his surroundings.

Seeing this, the general also quickly slowed his pace to follow the other's rhythm.

Li Tiangang looked around the city. Along the way, he could see shops, peddlers, and gorgeously dressed young talents everywhere—there were young masters of noble families and young ladies in colorful clothes—giving a sense of peace and prosperity where the people lived and worked in contentment.

The interaction between these noble children and the coarse-clothed peddlers was also quite harmonious, and it seemed to be governed well.

Such a lively, prosperous, yet orderly scene was just like a state city in the central area of a large province.

At this time, many people on the roadside saw Li Tiangang in his golden armor and looked over in surprise, discussing among themselves.

Li Tiangang originally wanted to observe carefully, but seeing these people's gazes like they were watching a monkey, he frowned slightly, immediately flew into the air, and ordered the general:

"Lead the way."

Seeing this, the general immediately flew and accelerated as well.

Li Tiangang followed the other party and flew all the way to the city, where there was an open area that looked like the City Lord's Mansion.

The surrounding buildings were all neat and magnificent, but in that open space, there was a low-lying fence courtyard, which looked extremely simple, only there were patrolling generals outside the courtyard, giving the courtyard a bit of majesty.

"Is that where he lives?"

Li Tiangang frowned: "With the space to build civilian houses, why not build a decent City Lord's Mansion?"

"Reporting to the Marshal, General Haotian said that his old friend likes this courtyard, so he kept it as it was."

Li Tiangang raised his eyebrows slightly, thinking of that child's casual temperament, and sighed in his heart. Sure enough, even in this border area, that temperament still hadn't changed.

They say that if you don't discipline a child when they are young, it's hard to change for life. He knew that the other party's personality should have already been set, and he feared it could never be changed.

However, thinking of Li Hao's current reputation and the various things he had done in Liangzhou, he felt that there was no point in dwelling on this matter anymore.

Soon, the two landed in front of the fence courtyard.

"Who is this?"

The two guards at the gate of the small courtyard were both Haotian Army soldiers, also composed of martial artists and grandmasters from various provinces who were serving, and they only knew some military rules, but their grasp of other military matters was relatively shallow.

Therefore, seeing Li Tiangang's attire, although they felt it was magnificent, they didn't recognize him immediately.

"This is the Grand Duke of Xing Wu, Marshal Xing Wu!"

The leading general said immediately.

Li Tiangang frowned slightly, feeling a bit unhappy in his heart. He had just felt that there was no need to pursue Li Hao's scattered temperament, but he didn't expect this kind of temperament to extend to the soldiers he commanded.

They couldn't even recognize his identity; if they encountered other Divine General Mansions, it would inevitably lead to collisions.

Moreover, letting these scattered soldiers go to the battlefield, he didn't know what it would be like.

Although he knew Li Hao was very strong himself, he couldn't always rely on himself to come forward for everything, especially if he was to inherit the True Dragon.

If everything had to be done by the True Dragon, ten lives wouldn't be enough.

The two guards were startled when they heard the introduction.

Although they didn't recognize Li Tiangang, the great name of Marshal Xing Wu had already shaken Yanbei for more than ten years. They immediately knew that the middle-aged man in front of them was Li Hao's father.

The two hurriedly paid their respects. This appearance fell into Li Tiangang's eyes, making his frown even deeper, and he said with a cold face:

"Did he not train you usually? You have no rules at all. If you go to the battlefield, what kind of discipline will you have? A pile of loose sand!"

The two lowered their heads nervously, and one of them whispered:

"General Haotian said that with him here, we don't need to go to the battlefield, and we have received strict training. Under normal circumstances, we won't make mistakes, unless it's an accident..."

Li Tiangang couldn't help but sneer: "What a big tone. If he does everything, what do you need to do? Who does he think he is? How many lives does he have?"

Seeing the two lowering their heads and trembling, he was too lazy to scold them again and said: "Open the door."

"Marshal, please wait a moment, I will go and report to General Haotian first..."

One guard said hurriedly as if he had been granted amnesty, and as he spoke, he turned and ran into the courtyard.

Li Tiangang's expression changed. The guard next to him hurriedly explained to Li Tiangang: "Marshal, please calm your anger. Our General said that no matter who comes, they must report first, otherwise it will ruin his mood."

A stern light flashed in Li Tiangang's eyes, and he said: "Mood, what mood?"

This guard was also a grandmaster who had been famous for many years. How could he not see that this Marshal was already angry? He had to apologize with a smile: "General Haotian usually likes to take a nap, or play chess, or paint. If he is suddenly disturbed..."

Li Tiangang's face was ugly. He didn't expect Li Hao to still be picking up those playful things in this border area, without any restraint at all! He originally thought that Li Hao had that shocking cultivation and combat power because he was inspired by him and was practicing hard in Tianmen Pass.

He didn't expect that he was still the same as before, playing and enjoying himself here.

He hadn't changed, not at all!

Li Tiangang took a deep breath. Thinking of the various things before the defense line, Li Hao's combat achievements, and the current Liangzhou, the anger that had just risen in his heart gradually dissipated.

He sighed secretly. Although the other party hadn't changed, his talent was indeed outstanding. Even in comfortable enjoyment, he still had that shocking combat power and also saved the billions of people in Liangzhou.

With such illustrious merits, he couldn't say anything.

Moreover, he knew that the child had a stubborn temperament. Coming here this time, he also wanted to ease the father-son relationship.

At this time, the courtyard gate opened again, and the guard walked out, but his expression seemed a bit nervous and awkward.

He looked at Li Tiangang, and when Li Tiangang saw his expression, his face also darkened.

"That..."

The guard said nervously: "General Haotian said he is not seeing guests, and told you to go back."

"You brat!"

Li Tiangang was furious. As a father, he had personally visited, which was already lowering his head to Li Hao, and he was actually closed off and not seen?

Where was there any father-son etiquette left! "Did he say that himself? Let him come out and see me personally!"

Li Tiangang said with a cold face. Thinking that this was Li Hao's avatar and might not be able to inherit much of the main body's consciousness, he suppressed this anger.

"Young General Haotian is painting."

"What painting? As a general, does he want to paint some shocking masterpiece!"

Li Tiangang was too lazy to talk nonsense anymore and directly pushed away the guard in front of him. The other party wanted to stop him, but he glared, and his whole body exuded the aura of the Four Standing Realms.

The soul-stirring deterrent power directly made the two guards terrified, their whole bodies stiff and unable to move.

He kicked open the courtyard gate directly and walked inside.

He saw two figures sitting leisurely in the courtyard, one sitting cross-legged with a sword across his legs, closing his eyes and contemplating.

The other was painting, holding a brush and dropping ink.

At this moment, both were startled by the sound of the courtyard gate breaking and looked toward Li Tiangang.

Ren Qianqian immediately recognized Li Tiangang's appearance, was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly stood up and said: "Uncle."

The dark-side Li Hao sat in front of the painting, but frowned slightly. He didn't inherit many memories; most of the time, he was painting, playing chess, and looking up at the starry sky alone in an empty, ancient courtyard.

Some faces that flashed by occasionally were all women in silk and satin.

He was relatively unfamiliar with the face in front of him, but he also felt a bit familiar, but instinctively, he felt a deep rejection.

"This is the General's Mansion, who allowed you to trespass!"

The dark-side Li Hao's face turned cold. He put the brush aside, stood up, and assumed a fighting stance.

The order Li Hao left for the dark side was to defend Cangya City to the death.

"You're really idle!"

Li Tiangang saw that Li Hao's avatar was indeed painting and couldn't help but be so angry he wanted to laugh. Even the avatar has this temperament? "Do you know who I am?" he asked with a cold face.

"No matter who you are, you have to follow my rules here!" the dark-side Li Hao said coldly.

"Does the avatar have no memory at all?"

Li Tiangang frowned. Although martial arts avatar techniques are scarce, he also knew something about them. They belong to external incarnations, which are extremely difficult to condense and master, but the final results obtained are very average.

After all, an avatar can inherit one-tenth of the main body's power, which is considered not bad.

And if you practice other techniques with the same difficulty, your strength might increase by one-third; this is several times that of an avatar!

The only benefit of an avatar is that it can help with some other small things, but for powerful people, they are not short of servants to do errands around them, unless they are doing some private things. Truly using them for combat is relatively tasteless.

If Li Hao were still by his side, he would never support the other party spending time practicing such techniques.

But he had long adapted to Li Hao's temperament. He couldn't even discipline him on playing chess and painting, let alone practicing any techniques.

"You followed Hao'er here. Do you know if there is any life-and-death connection between this avatar and the main body?"

Li Tiangang asked Ren Qianqian next to him.

Ren Qianqian looked nervous and said: "I don't know much about the Young Tianren Zongshi's affairs."

"Aren't you his personal maid?" Li Tiangang frowned.

"...... But I have never asked about the Young Tianren Zongshi's affairs." Ren Qianqian lowered her head and said.

Li Tiangang snorted angrily and had to say to the Li Hao avatar in front of him: "Your main body is trapped in the Mo River, do you know? Can you sense it? Is there any life-and-death connection between you and the main body?"

"This is my business, there is no need to answer you. Please go out, otherwise don't blame me for being impolite!"

The dark-side avatar Li Hao said.

Li Tiangang was so angry he wanted to laugh: "I am the Marshal of Liangzhou, and Tianmen Pass is within my jurisdiction. I have the final say here. You want me to go out?"

"You can be in the city, but you cannot be in this courtyard."

The dark-side Li Hao frowned and said.

Cold light and anger shot out of Li Tiangang's eyes: "I came to find you to let you go back and incidentally see if you can investigate the situation of your main body. You want to drive me away?"

"Qianqian, see the guest out."

The dark-side Li Hao said with a cold face.

Ren Qianqian couldn't help but look at Li Tiangang, her expression hesitant: "Uncle, why don't you wait until the Young Tianren Zongshi returns?"

"Who gave you the right to speak here!"

Li Tiangang glanced at her coldly.

This glance was like a sharp sword piercing her heart, making Ren Qianqian's face turn pale suddenly, and her footsteps retreated repeatedly.

The dark-side Li Hao's expression changed suddenly, cold light overflowing from his eyes. He raised his hand, and the Long Xiao Sword that was inserted into the ground where Ren Qianqian had been sitting cross-legged suddenly unsheathed, roaring out a golden dragon chant.

The divine sword condensed its power and slashed out without hesitation.

Li Tiangang's eyes were angry, and he slapped out a palm suddenly. The golden light on the sword shattered, but his own expression also changed suddenly.

The power of this sword exceeded his expectations and was much more powerful than he imagined.

His body retreated two steps, and he stopped only after stabilizing his body.

"Are you the real body or an avatar?!"

Li Tiangang looked up at Li Hao in front of him in surprise and suspicion.

The dark-side Li Hao's gaze was cold, and the golden sword light stood in front of his eyes: "If you stay any longer, I will treat you as an intruder!"

Li Tiangang heard this cold, merciless language, and his face became ugly.

"I want to see how you deal with your father!"

Li Tiangang clenched his fists, and his aura was revealed.

Just at this moment, a figure descended suddenly like a clear breeze, appearing between Li Tiangang and Li Hao like a teleportation.

"You should have made enough trouble!"

A cold voice came out, and Feng Bo Ping looked at Li Tiangang with cold eyes.

When Li Tiangang arrived earlier, he had sensed it and moved from the courtyard to the clouds, wanting to hide his figure.

But seeing that the other party had actually clashed with Li Hao's avatar again, he really couldn't sit still.

"Hao'er is now trapped in the Mo River, and that is a Youdu-level Mo River, with his life or death uncertain. Don't tell me you still want to beat his avatar to death here?!"

Feng Bo Ping said coldly.

(End of chapter)