Chapter 360

Li Tiangang also looked at the young man's back with a complex gaze, his fingers slightly clenched; he was nervous, expectant, and also somewhat lost and sad.

In the past, he had argued with that young man, and the other party had discarded the Li Clan surname and left this magnificent Divine General Mansion.

Who could have imagined that today, it would be the ancestor personally coming forward to invite the other party back.

In his heart, he could not help but ask himself: he was indeed wrong, but was he really so wrong? He had established his Dao heart based on the laws of all things, but at this moment, his Dao heart was somewhat shaken.

Li Hao also did not expect that the Li Clan ancestors could do this much for him; he was somewhat surprised and somewhat regretful.

The regret was not for himself, but that he had to hurt their hearts.

The moon has its waxing and waning, and this matter has been difficult to perfect since ancient times.

Since severing the bloodline in the abyss, there was no turning back. Many things missed, or done wrong, were ultimately regrets. Even if a broken mirror is glued back together, there are still cracks, and it can only reflect a shattered scene.

"I accept the senior's good intentions."

Li Hao bowed slightly and said, "Making an exception for me is not worth it. This millennium of glory accumulated by you seniors through generations of fighting enemies and slaying demons cannot be broken because of me. Family inheritance has family laws and clan rules; otherwise, one generation is dazzling, and ten thousand generations are extinguished."

"I no longer have the Li Clan bloodline. If I were the True Dragon, it would be difficult to convince the masses. Moreover, my mind is made up; I cannot bear the burden of this Divine General Mansion."

Having said this, he cupped his hands in a salute and thanked them earnestly.

Hearing Li Hao's words, the color drained from the faces of He Jianlan and the others, and the light of hope in their eyes dimmed instantly like a blown-out firefly.

Li Tiangang, kneeling on the ground, was also stunned, and then his face twitched and trembled.

In the past, he had told that young man to be proper, upright, and law-abiding, but the other party had been lazy, casual, and free-spirited.

Now, he was using family laws and clan rules as an excuse to sever ties with the Li Clan.

He had used the very image he had demanded to sever all of this.

"You..."

Li Tianyuan was slightly stunned, clearly not expecting Li Hao to refuse so decisively.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "Child, even if you are not the True Dragon, that is fine. The Li Clan owes you; we old fellows will make amends. The Li Clan True Dragon can receive our soul power to condense a soul image for him. Even if you are not, let us condense it for you once!"

Li Hao instantly thought of the scene in the Mo River of Longcheng, where he inherited the True Dragon and donned the outer garment of this ancestor to fight and conquer.

But that was Li Tianzong's memory.

He also did not know if that old master would feel gratified by this before he dissipated.

Li Hao sighed in his heart and said to the Li Clan ancestor before him:

"I cannot bear the senior's kindness. Condensing the soul is too costly for you. You seniors do not need to do this. The Li Clan owes me nothing; we are already even."

In the Mo River of Longcheng, the Li Clan ancestors condensed their souls for him, helping him break through the bottleneck of 360 soul condensations, but Li Hao felt that as long as he went to collect a few more soul-condensing secret manuals, he could break through on his own; there was no need to exhaust the soul power of these heroic spirits.

After all, these heroic spirits before him were all human heroes who had once fought enemies and slain demons on the battlefield, and they were also heroes who had once belonged to his own era. Letting them sacrifice for him and shorten their residual soul time made Li Hao feel ashamed to accept it.

Hearing Li Hao's words, Li Tianyuan fell into silence once again.

He wanted to gather the power of many heroic spirits, not only to repay the kindness of Li Hao's assistance this time but also in the hope that Li Hao would remember them, so that if the Li Clan were in trouble in the future, he could help again.

But the young man before him did not seem moved by this.

For a martial artist, this was an extremely precious thing, and it would greatly improve his strength, but the young man before him viewed it as light as a feather.

"Child..."

Li Tianyuan frowned, looking at Li Hao, wanting to say something more.

"Senior."

Li Hao interrupted hurriedly, smiling and saying, "We cannot be blood relatives, but if you want to be friends with me, I welcome it."

"Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?"

"I accept everyone's good intentions, please do not try to persuade me further."

After speaking, he lowered his head slightly as a salute, then his gaze fell on Li Yuanzhao in the courtyard, and he smiled slightly: "If you have time, you can also come to my side to play."

"Mm!"

Li Yuanzhao's eyes were sorrowful, and he nodded vigorously, his eyes full of reluctance.

Li Tianyuan and the other Li Clan ancestral heroic spirits heard Li Hao's words and were silent, knowing that the young man was determined and could no longer be persuaded.

Li Tianyuan's expression was slightly gloomy, and he said to Li Xuanli in the hall, "The Li Clan True Dragon, you shall manage it for the time being."

After speaking, he nodded slightly to Li Hao, then turned and flew away directly.

The other ancestors saw this, their expressions different, but all were low or sorrowful. They nodded to Li Hao to thank him, then flew back into the ancestral hall one after another.

Li Hao's previous assistance to Qingzhou City could be considered as saving them, and this kindness was hard to repay.

But this young man did not seem to care, which made them feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Li Hao walked toward the outside of the courtyard, and Li Yuanzhao and the others hurriedly followed. Li Wushuang wanted to speak but stopped, wanting to persuade him to stay, but thinking that even the ancestors coming forward could not stop the young man's footsteps, let alone himself, he could not help but have a dim and sorrowful gaze.

Li Mingjian, Li Zhining, and the others all had complex gazes. No one in the Li Clan had ever received such attention; even their fathers' generation, their grandfather's generation, had never been so.

But in their generation, a dazzling figure had emerged.

Yet, the other party seemed like a dragon leaving a shallow beach, soaring into the sky, no longer living and mingling with them.

However, looking at the world, who would dare say that the Divine General Mansion's Li Clan was a shallow beach?

It was only that the world the young man roamed was too vast.

Or rather, that bond had been severed by someone...

"Oh, right, that noble lady who poisoned me, I wonder where she is?"

Li Hao, who had walked into the courtyard, suddenly asked.

Hearing this, everyone was stunned. Li Xuanli had just been personally designated as the True Dragon by the ancestor. Although there had not yet been a ceremony, from this moment on, he was considered to have to shoulder the responsibilities of the True Dragon family head.

He was slightly stunned, and under the elbow-nudge of his wife Gao Qingqing, he reacted and hurriedly said, "She is in her courtyard. Do you want to see her? I will take you. No matter how you want to punish her, with your current status... it is all deserved."

He suddenly felt that there were more things he needed to consider and think about, and the question of what would happen to the face of the Divine General Mansion if Li Hao beat Liu Yuerong to death flashed through his mind instantly.

But soon, these distracting thoughts were suppressed by him. With Li Hao's current status as a Duke, he could determine that she had poisoned a Duke. Although it was a scandal for the Divine General Mansion, if Li Hao truly put her to death, as long as he smoothed over the relationship a little, it would not be considered a violation of the law.

After all, if the Liu Clan retaliated afterward, they would have to weigh the consequences when facing the current Li Hao.

Perhaps they would even send people with generous gifts to apologize.

As a large family, the rise and fall of the family were more important than temporary anger, and even more important than the honor and disgrace of one branch.

Harboring many thoughts, Li Xuanli chased after Li Hao.

"Then I will trouble you."

Li Hao nodded slightly.

The others heard this and could not help but follow. When Li Hao broke with the Li Clan, it was because Liu Yuerong's poisoning was the fuse.

This scandal was suppressed by the Divine General Mansion, and not much was spread outside, but everyone within the Divine General Mansion knew about this matter.

Now, was that young man going to take revenge with his own hands? Li Tiangang's expression was ugly, and the image of the second brother who had blocked a sword for him instantly flashed in his mind. The other party had taken care of him since he was young and entrusted his wife and children to him before he died, but now...

He felt sad in his heart, but at this moment, he had no reason to stop him again.

Moreover, in his heart, how could he not hate Liu Yuerong? But hate was hate; how could he forget the brotherhood? This was the reason he had shielded her before.

Ji Qingqing, however, quickly climbed up and chased out, her face full of sorrow. She could not believe that the child had truly left so decisively.

Before the Shuihua Courtyard.

Li Xuanli opened the courtyard door for Li Hao and glanced at this former nephew. He sighed in his heart and said in a low voice, "She is inside here. Ever since it was investigated clearly, she has been imprisoned by your fathe... by me."

"Is this imprisonment?"

Li Hao glanced into the courtyard. Apart from the absence of the usual crowds of servants, the fallen leaves were desolate, and the fallen leaves on the pond in the courtyard were piled up, seemingly becoming a pool of stagnant water.

But this was still a luxurious courtyard, and it had nothing to do with imprisonment.

Li Xuanli heard Li Hao's words, his expression changed slightly, and he only said, "We will wait for you outside here." This was also a hint to Li Hao, signaling that if he was dissatisfied, he could do whatever he wanted.

Li Hao said nothing, merely walking into the courtyard. Following the bluestone path, he saw the figure of the beautiful woman leaning obliquely in the pavilion.

Only now, the other party was clearly not as glamorous as before. The hairpins that were originally full of pearls and jade on her head were also much fewer, with only one round-bead hairpin.

Hearing the movement, Liu Yuerong turned around. When she saw Li Hao, her eyes were slightly stunned, but she was not too surprised. Instead, she stared at Li Hao, and only after a moment did she say:

"It hasn't even been two years, has your appearance changed so much?"

"Your changes are also quite significant."

Li Hao smiled, but there was no hateful or angry expression that outsiders would imagine when enemies met.

As he spoke, he walked into the pavilion and looked at the fruit platter on the table; the fruit was already somewhat withered and not fresh enough.

"Now that you have achieved success and fame, do you want to come and take revenge for what happened back then?"

Liu Yuerong stared at Li Hao, but sneered slightly. There was no fear on her face, and she said, "If you want to kill, then kill. Anyway, living here is no different from being dead. The only thing to look forward to is watching my son surpass you."

"But even if I don't see it, I believe that day will come sooner or later."

As she spoke, she sneered, her eyes staring sharply at Li Hao.

Li Hao heard this, but did not get angry. He still had a smile on his face, and at this moment, the arc of his mouth lifted by another degree.

"You really dare to think."

"Hmph, you are indeed a monster, but so what? I have seen many monsters. Like your Ninth Uncle, although he was not as good as you, he was also stunning to everyone back then. Everyone thought he would lead the Li Clan to climb to a higher peak, but what was the result?"

"With his brilliance exposed, he died before he was 20. Heh, this is heaven being jealous of talent!"

Liu Yuerong sneered, "Although you are strong now, who knows if you will have such an accident?"

Li Hao nodded, "You are right, so before such an accident happens, I plan to let your son have an accident first."

Liu Yuerong was stunned, her expression changed sharply, and she said in surprise and anger, "What do you want to do?"

Li Hao said unhurriedly, "You think I came to kill you? No, on the contrary, regarding what happened back then, after I left the Li Clan, I no longer hated it, and I even want to thank you."

Liu Yuerong was stunned.

"That bit of divine blood might be a great help to ordinary people, but to me, it was negligible."

Li Hao said, "You once said that if parents love their children, they plan for them deeply. You are indeed a good mother, so I came here to tell you that I will let you watch with your own eyes how your son is crippled by me. This is repayment."

"You, you dare!"

Liu Yuerong stood up abruptly, looking at Li Hao in surprise and anger: "Do you really think you are lawless? My son is with the Buddha Lord; he won't let you succeed."

"Don't tell me your son is tied to the Buddha Lord's crotch for the rest of his life?"

Li Hao laughed.

Liu Yuerong's body trembled, and her expression became ugly. Being stared at by a Four Standing Realm cultivator was enough to make people restless, not to mention that she had already heard about the affairs in Qingzhou City from the old servant. The young man before her was now a top expert, and even that Buddha Lord might not be able to suppress him.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, kill me, I will come to atone for my sins!"

Liu Yuerong suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Li Hao to plead.

Li Hao neither stopped her nor spoke. Before being poisoned back then, he had a very good impression of this second mother. After all, the other party often cared for him, and it was sincere, but who knew that this was all a disguise.

In the days that followed, she tested him many times, forcing him to learn to be cautious.

"Death is not enough to atone for your sins. Your son harbored murderous intent toward the True Dragon; he should pay the price."

Li Hao stood up and said, "You live too comfortably here. Since you are a prisoner, you should look like a prisoner. You just wait in the prison. I will beat your son into a dead dog and bring him to see you."

Liu Yuerong was stunned, her face pale, and she hurriedly wanted to hug Li Hao's legs, but was blocked by a force.

She hurriedly pleaded, "I was wrong, just look at the fact that I once held you, Ganfeng is innocent, he knows nothing, even if you look at his father's face..."

"You wanted to deprive me of my power, so I will deprive your son of his power. This is even."

Li Hao said in a low voice, "I don't intend to take his life, unless he seeks death himself, which is another matter."

After speaking, he turned and left directly.

In the courtyard, wailing sounds came, constantly pleading, but the young man left decisively.

When the courtyard door closed again, the wailing turned into cursing, into a curse, and finally into weeping.

Afterward, Liu Yuerong thought of writing a letter, thought of passing this news to her son, not to descend the mountain until he had cultivated to the Taiping Dao Realm.

Only in this way could he save his life.

Outside the courtyard, Li Hao walked out, and the wailing and pleading sounds inside were closed off by the courtyard door.

Everyone was surprised, not knowing what Li Hao had said.

Li Hao only said one sentence to Li Xuanli: criminals should stay in a criminal's place.

Li Xuanli understood Li Hao's intentions. He felt somewhat relieved that Li Hao did not kill Liu Yuerong directly. After all, the other party was, after all, that brother's wife.

He sighed in his heart and accompanied everyone to send Li Hao off.

"You cannot leave!"

Li Tiangang stood at the entrance of the Divine General Mansion in advance, looking at Li Hao, who was walking over continuously, his face full of determination.

Li Hao frowned slightly and said nothing, merely covering him with his Dao Domain to suppress him, and then stepped past him and walked out of the Divine General Mansion.

On the other side, Ji Qingqing, who had chased over, shouted, "Hao'er!"

Li Hao did not look back and walked straight away. Under the gaze of everyone in the Divine General Mansion, he walked along the street until he disappeared from everyone's sight.

He Jianlan and the others had pale faces and complex gazes. This was the second time they had witnessed that young man stepping out of the Divine General Mansion.

And this time, it was a complete farewell.

"Birds fly in the sky; only when they are tired of flying will they stop on a tree. Moreover, he is not a bird; he is a phoenix."

Li Xiaoran looked from afar and murmured a sentence. These words were for Li Tiangang to hear, telling him not to make meaningless entanglements, and it was also his own feeling at this moment. After speaking, he turned and left.

Li Tiangang and Ji Qingqing were shocked when they heard this. They knew that if the child were a bird, then to him, they were a cage.

Now, they could no longer keep the other party.

Mount Wuliang, in the Brahma Pure World.

Li Ganfeng, wearing a white cassock, came before the Spirit Realm Buddha Lord.

"Master, I wonder how much longer it will be before my mother can be picked up? Our Li Clan..."

Li Ganfeng knelt on the ground, looked up, his face full of pleading.

The Buddha Lord sat on the high platform of the golden lotus, looking at his miserable and anxious appearance, and sighed lightly, knowing that his previous conversion was equivalent to saying nothing; the other party had not truly realized it.

"The disaster in Qingzhou City has been pacified. You don't need to worry. As for the news about your mother, we still need to wait for Bodhisattva Puji to return..."

The Buddha Lord said in a low voice.

Li Ganfeng was stunned, unable to help but open his eyes wide, and said, "Qingzhou City has already pacified the rebellion?"

It was only tens of thousands of miles from here to Qingzhou. Mount Wuliang could be considered a place relatively close to Qingzhou City's Li Clan. If a Four Standing Realm cultivator traveled at full speed, he could arrive in less than a day.

Unlike Youzhou, although it was a relatively close large state to Qingzhou, it was relatively close, but in reality, it was separated by hundreds of thousands of miles.

The Buddha Lord said, "You can rest assured."

"Thank you, Master!" Li Ganfeng kowtowed excitedly.

The Buddha Lord let Li Ganfeng withdraw and go to practice, then looked at Lin Wuge beside him and asked, "Has that little thief not confessed yet? Where is the stolen holy object?"

(End of chapter)