Chapter 370: The Old Man

When Li Hao saw the other, the other also saw Li Hao; from among his disheveled hair, a deep, restrained gaze swept over, calm yet carrying an inherent sharpness of lethal energy.

Perfect Realm… Li Hao studied him closely; though the man's eyes were piercing, there seemed no murderous intent.

He glanced around—the courtyard was undamaged, which eased his mind.

"Senior, who are you?"

Li Hao walked to the man's side, sat on the cushion usually reserved for guests, and casually picked up the already steeped tea, taking a sip.

"My surname is Jiang, Jiang Jiang Lichen."

The old man's eyes were cold, indifferent to Li Hao's actions, his gaze fixed intently on Li Hao's face:

"You've made me wait a long time!"

Jiang… Li Hao paused; that was the imperial family's surname. Was this old man of the imperial blood? Yet with his current duke status, even meeting royalty required no grand bow.

"Your Highness, did you wait for me for a reason?" Li Hao asked, glancing at the man's clothes—nearly ragged. This prince seemed unusual.

"I waited outside the Mo River to meet you, yet you slipped away to Youzhou without a trace. I chased you there, only to find you had fled to Qingzhou. When I arrived in Qingzhou, you returned here…"

The more he spoke, the more anger crept into Jiang Jiang Lichen's voice—he had never been toyed with like this before.

"… "

Li Hao fell silent; he hadn't realized his constant travels had drawn a tail—and that tail had been shaken off far too thoroughly.

For a moment, he could only offer an awkward smile. "When I have time, I'll personally thank His Majesty."

"Hmph, whether you thank him or not is none of my concern. Besides, I never even met you—what's there to thank for? You're his general; him sending someone to fetch you is only right."

Jiang Jiang Lichen sneered. "Even my meddling brother can misjudge. Look at you now—why would you need anyone to fetch you? At your age, you've reached the Tai Ping Dao Realm. Remarkable!"

"Just luck."

Li Hao quickly bowed in humility.

"Though you played me for a fool and sent me scrambling, you've also given me the chance to get out—consider it even."

Jiang Jiang Lichen spoke as if narrating his own strange grievances and blessings, as if uttering them to Li Hao absolved him of the karmic debt—whether it truly canceled out was up to him alone.

Then he fixed his gaze on Li Hao, his eyes flicking to Li Hao's palms:

"I heard you use a sword?"

"Hm?"

Li Hao, surprised, nodded. "A little."

"Hmph. You cut down demons outside Qingzhou City—the lingering sword qi still lingers. I saw it. Not bad."

Jiang Jiang Lichen dismissed Li Hao's modesty outright, speaking bluntly and without restraint: "Your palms don't look like a swordsman's—yet the world has no shortage of sword prodigies. At six, the first time I held a sword, I executed a flawless technique. My hands were smooth, uncalloused, yet far superior to those hardened by years of grinding!"

"You've reached the Tai Ping Dao Realm so young—you're clearly intelligent. Let me see the depth of your sword art!"

As he spoke, his eyes locked onto Li Hao's, and suddenly a vast, overwhelming aura erupted from him.

Li Hao froze; the energy now radiating from the man carried murderous intent.

Just moments ago he spoke calmly—now he was ready to draw his sword.

"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Li Hao frowned.

"Draw your sword. Let me see your blade!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen's gaze pinned him.

"A sparring match? But you can't beat me," Li Hao shook his head.

"You think a Dao Realm stops me? My sword art can shatter Dao Realms! I seek the ultimate sword path—even without a Dao Realm, I can break one. Even without attaining Dao, I can cut through Dao with my sword!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen's eyes blazed; his words sounded mad.

Li Hao was stunned—but did not mock. Instead, he studied the man's eyes intently.

Such a delusional idea—yet in those eyes, there was no arrogance, only obsession, belief, and extreme fervor.

This feeling ran deeper than soul immersion.

Li Hao fell silent a moment, then nodded. "Fine. But this isn't the place to fight. Your Highness, follow me."

"Need to choose a place? Anywhere will do."

Seeing Li Hao agree, Jiang Jiang Lichen's eyes blazed brighter—he could barely contain himself.

"This is my courtyard. Like your sword, it's something I cherish."

Jiang Jiang Lichen had been ready to strike—but hearing this, his gaze shifted, and he held back.

"I'll wait."

As he spoke, Jiang Jiang Lichen suddenly soared into the air and vanished.

Li Hao exhaled, assured Ren Ren Qianqian to wait here, then followed after.

Soon, both arrived at a hill outside the city.

"Where's your sword?"

Jiang Jiang Lichen stared at Li Hao's hands.

"A blade can be any blade—grass, wood, all can be swords."

Li Hao casually snapped off a withered branch and held it.

Jiang Jiang Lichen burst into laughter. "Good! Once, I thought the same—everything could be a sword. But now? A sword is a sword. It is nothing else. A sword must be only a sword!"

As he spoke, a black, seemingly broken longsword at his waist flew into his hand.

The blade had no scabbard—it needed no sheath. As it landed, a sharp, piercing hum rang out, like a proud dragon roaring.

"Come! Unleash your Dao Realm. Don't fear—I can cut through any Dao Realm with one sword!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen's disheveled hair whipped wildly as his entire being radiated unrestrained ferocity—he seemed transformed into a blade standing between heaven and earth.

Hearing this, Li Hao made no pretense—he immediately unleashed a Dao Realm.

Intimidation!

The Dao Realm's laws enveloped Jiang Jiang Lichen instantly.

The crushing pressure of Intimidation could suppress all external power.

Yet Jiang Jiang Lichen's eyes blazed with fierce, excited battle lust. From his acupoints surged streams of power—each like sword qi, piercing outward. He had condensed the energy drawn into his body into countless sword qi, hidden within his major meridians.

Li Hao held one immortal breath in his dantian; Jiang Jiang Lichen held ten thousand sword qi in his heart. Beneath the Dao Realm's rules, he still unleashed overwhelming force, resisting the erosion—and slashed.

Whoosh! A brilliant flash, like a shattered silver moon's aurora, carried a certain Dao essence and slashed across instantly.

Li Hao stared—then realized his Dao Realm had been ripped apart by an unbearably sharp force, cleaved open.

He immediately thought to layer a second Dao Realm—but abandoned the thought.

A spark of battle lust rose in him too. He flung the withered branch—power wrapped around it, unleashing a sword qi that slashed through.

Boom! The sword light of Reincarnation clashed with Jiang Jiang Lichen's sword qi. Under the Dao Realm's enhancement, they matched evenly.

"Your sword isn't pure enough!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen glared, growled: "Is this your strongest sword technique? Not enough!"

As he spoke, he slashed again—a second strike that shattered the Dao Realm once more. The refined sword light, like aurora from beyond heaven, arrived instantly.

Li Hao raised the branch and struck down hard.

The sword light faded—neither gained advantage.

But Li Hao's branch snapped.

And Li Hao knew: without the Dao Realm's reinforcement, he had already lost in pure sword technique.

"Your sword art is only half a Sword Saint's level."

Jiang Jiang Lichen's aura flowed freely, standing unharmed within the Dao Realm. His eyes were cold, tinged with regret: "But for your age, it's decent. In ten years, perhaps you'll match me." Li Hao nodded slightly, offering no denial.

His six-stage sword insight was insufficient—he had not yet entered the Spirit Realm. His sword art had not transcended the mundane. Jiang Jiang Lichen's understanding of sword art must be at stage seven or eight.

To shatter a Dao Realm with pure sword art—his blade had reached the divine, nearing Dao.

"Is this your full strength? Or do you have other tricks? Let me see your true power—see if you can sharpen my blade further!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen's eyes locked onto Li Hao.

Seeing the man's obsession, Li Hao nodded. "Alright."

As he spoke, he released the remaining half of the branch—it fell downward.

Simultaneously, four layers of Dao Realm erupted in succession.

The sudden, terrifying pressure caused Jiang Jiang Lichen's piercing gaze to contract sharply—his eyes revealed shock. Yet the next instant, they blazed with even brighter, ecstatic light as he roared with laughter:

"Perfect!"

His entire body erupted in blinding sword light; his spine became translucent, radiant, like a blade.

He shot skyward, gathering immense power into a single strike, aiming to cleave.

But instantly, another layer of Dao Realm descended.

Six layers of Dao Realm enveloped him at once—Boom! Like giant hands gripping his light, extinguishing it, forcing it all back into his body, freezing him motionless within the Dao Realm.

Li Hao did not unleash the full force of his Dao Realm's laws—otherwise, Jiang Jiang Lichen would have been torn apart instantly.

"You…"

Jiang Jiang Lichen's eyes strained to move, stunned, disbelieving.

Li Hao slowly dissipated his power, withdrawing the Dao Realm.

Jiang Jiang Lichen's light surged out again—but his sword stance remained frozen mid-air, his gaze fixed on Li Hao, vacant.

After a long silence, he suddenly rushed to Li Hao's side. "Six Dao Realms? Is that your limit?"

Li Hao shook his head slightly.

Jiang Jiang Lichen was momentarily dazed—but then burst into laughter again.

"Good! Good! Good! I thought my sword was sharp enough—turns out, it's still far from it!"

"When I can split your Dao domain, that will be the moment I truly comprehend the Dao!"

Li Hao's heart stirred, and he asked, "Your Highness, are you familiar with the Realm of Comprehending the Dao?"

"Familiar? Not really. Are you trying to learn about it?"

Jiang Jiang Lichen saw through Li Hao's intent and chuckled twice, then didn't hide it: "Even if you're from the Divine General's Mansion, unless your Li family's ancestral patriarch told you himself, such true secrets are never recorded in any book. Some old bastards are like that—they'd rather take secrets to their coffins than let them leak out."

He brought the topic back: "The Realm of Comprehending the Dao has tiers. The first is the True Person Realm; the second is the Dao Law Realm!"

"That True Person of Qian Dao Palace is in the True Person Realm—he must shatter the rules of the Dao domain, touch the true Dao, discard falsehood and retain truth, transitioning from technique into the Dao—that is the True Person Realm of Comprehending the Dao!"

He said: "The Dao Law Realm is even more mysterious and powerful. With the Dao domain's laws, one's words become law, summoning wind and rain, glimpsing the great Dao of heaven and earth—no longer bound by technique, but by law itself!"

"Technique is the surface; the Dao is the bone; law is the flesh!"

Jiang Jiang Lichen glanced at Li Hao: "All cultivation manuals, even supreme arts, remain on the surface. Even supreme arts barely brush against a sliver of truth—but still stand outside the threshold of the Dao."

"Only when you cross that threshold do you truly enter the Dao. Then, using the Dao to pry open the laws, a single effort can unleash a hundredfold power!"

Li Hao was momentarily stunned. He'd asked out of idle curiosity, never expecting this Prince to understand the Realm of Comprehending the Dao so thoroughly.

True Person Realm. Dao Law Realm.

Dao Law allows one's words to become law—isn't that like a god?

Li Hao's eyes flickered. Suddenly, he understood why those two Demigod avatars had been so hard to kill—even a True Person had forged Dao force, and Dao force was indestructible. True Person Dao force had forged their bodies; the Dao domain's influence on them was likely negligible.

The gap between these realms was like heaven and earth.

"You're gifted. If you can see through fame and status, stay here and cultivate in peace, you'll achieve great things one day."

Jiang Jiang Lichen, seeing Li Hao lost in thought, said: "Don't listen to my brother. Running all over the place to save ordinary mortals—what does it matter if the people all die? The masses are fools by nature, born to be stepping stones. Dying early means rebirth into wealth and privilege—better than a hundred years of struggle. It's actually a blessing."

Li Hao froze, speechless.

It was hard to imagine these words coming from a Prince—they sounded more like a demon lord's.

"Besides, the waters of Emperor Da Yu run deeper than you imagine. Even if you don't go to Youzhou or Qingzhou, only a few civilians will die. When these demons cross the line, someone will surely step forward to slay them."

Jiang Jiang Lichen sneered, a faint glint in his eyes: "Emperor Da Yu may be in decline, but we still have things to scare people with. Do you think the divine arrays in the five Divine General Mansion provinces are just to protect the people? Hah. Stay here and cultivate in peace."

With that, he turned and flew back into the city.

Li Hao blinked, following him back to the courtyard.

When he saw the man sit back down exactly where he'd been before, Li Hao was speechless—the man seemed to have taken up permanent residence.

"Your Highness, what did you mean by the divine array?"

Li Hao asked, puzzled.

Jiang Jiang Lichen waved a hand dismissively: "Don't think too hard. The less you know, the better. Fewer distractions mean clearer insight."

Li Hao gave a faint, bitter smile. Seeing the man wouldn't speak, he said: "Your Highness, I'm busy with affairs here, in a border town. You'd be better off going elsewhere."

"I won't leave until I've shattered your Dao domain."

Jiang Jiang Lichen snorted, ignoring Li Hao entirely. His gaze settled on Ren Ren Qianqian, who held her sword. He glanced at the blade, sneered, and looked away.

Ren Ren Qianqian, relieved to see Li Hao return safely, felt a sigh of relief—then noticed the old man's glance, laced with contempt. She was startled, bewildered.

Even if my cultivation is low, you're a venerable elder—why look down on me?

Li Hao, realizing the Prince had truly taken root here, was exasperated—but the man was a Prince; he couldn't forcibly drive him out. He sighed: "Fine. Just don't disturb me."

"You mind your business. I'll mind mine."

Jiang Jiang Lichen said.

Hearing that, Li Hao said no more.

Time passed.

Soldiers came and went in the courtyard, reporting searches for Elder Feng—all yielded nothing.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Mechanism Tower had also sent word: no trace found. Not only Elder Feng, but the little white fox had vanished without a word. Li Hao had also asked the Tower to help investigate, instructing them to notify him immediately if they found anything—but still, no trace.

According to Ren Qianqian, the little white fox had disappeared suddenly one day. At first, they thought it was just playing somewhere, but when night fell and it still hadn't returned, they realized it was gone.

When they sent men to search outside the city, they found nothing—no signs of battle. Tracking the fallen fur, the trail ended halfway.

"This little thing… don't tell me it's been killed…"

Li Hao frowned slightly, sighing inwardly.

"You're looking for someone?"

Jiang Jiang Lichen, meditating on sword Dao in the courtyard, heard the soldiers' reports. He raised an eyebrow, glanced at Li Hao, and said: "When I came to Fengshan Mohe to meet you, I saw no movement there, so I came over to check. I spotted a battle far outside the city—could that be the person you're looking for?"

Li Hao froze. A battle outside the city?

"Did Your Highness see who it was?"

"Didn't pay much attention. But one of them had excellent movement—too bad he faced a Tai Ping Dao Realm. No matter how good his movement, it was useless."

Li Hao's heart jolted. Excellent movement? "When did this happen?"

Li Hao couldn't help asking. If the other side was a Tai Ping Dao Realm, it couldn't have been Elder Feng's battle with Li Li Tiangang—it must have been another fight.

Jiang Jiang Lichen thought for a moment: "About half a month ago."

"Half a month ago…" Li Hao was stunned. That was after Elder Feng's battle with Li Li Tiangang.

Could it be… after fighting Li Li Tiangang, Elder Feng hadn't been driven away—he'd secretly continued guarding Cangya City? And then encountered another battle?

(End of Chapter)