Chapter 112: Renouncing the Li Name
The handprint failed to strike Li Hao, and Li Tiangang’s angry expression froze in an instant.
The sword move, like countless petals drifting before his eyes, momentarily disoriented him.
Blossoms on the Other Shore.
The sword intent actually affected him!
Shock flickered in Li Tiangang's eyes. However, as a pinnacle soul cultivator at the Three Immortals Realm, despite his decline in cultivation, his mental state remained formidable. He quickly regained his composure.
A sharp sound pierced the air as a streak of cold light flashed toward him.
His astonishment instantly turned to overwhelming fury.
“Wretch!”
With a furious roar, Li Tiangang’s Divine Soul wielded a blade and descended at great speed to strike.
But Li Hao was closer, and his sword was faster!
Li Tiangang managed only to tilt slightly, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. The blade’s edge grazed his shoulder, producing a metallic clang and piercing a bloody hole through his flesh.
The Three Immortals Realm is divided into Undying, Unbreakable, and Unaging stages.
Upon reaching the Unbreakable Stage, the body can, at will, become impervious to destruction—resistant to swords and blades.
It was only because Li Hao wielded a Divine Weapon that he was able to wound him. If the weapon had been of lesser grade, it would have been completely ineffective against Li Tiangang.
With such power, a cultivator of the Three Immortals Realm could rampage unchallenged on the battlefield, capable of assassinating enemy commanders amidst tens of thousands of soldiers.
In contrast, a Grandmaster Realm cultivator might excel in one-on-one combat, but if surrounded by troops, they could be shot down in an instant and turned into mincemeat.
This distinction was especially evident against the elite troops trained by the Divine General Mansion, where even Grandmasters stood no chance.
Blood gushed from his shoulder as Li Tiangang’s eyes widened in both shock and anger, glaring at Li Hao. In a flash, he raised his hand. Before Li Hao could withdraw his sword, Li Tiangang grabbed the blade in a burst of lightning-fast reflexes.
When it came to combat experience, Li Tiangang had been forged in seas of blood and mountains of corpses; his body reacted almost instinctively.
Ignoring the risk of his palm being sliced open, he delivered a fierce punch toward Li Hao’s chest.
Li Hao released the sword and chose not to retreat. Instead, he clenched his sword hand into a fist and roared, unleashing the Half-Step Invincible Fist!
This strike broke the conventions of the technique. He instantly merged his sword intent into his arm, executing a blow that fused sword and fist into one!
The domineering fist intent and razor-sharp sword intent collided violently with Li Tiangang’s rough, fan-like palm. The force penetrated deep into his bones, causing an audible crack. Li Tiangang’s body involuntarily staggered backward.
With one strike, both were forced to retreat.
“Heaven and Man Realm!”
Li Tiangang stared at Li Hao in astonishment. At that moment, he realized that Li Hao had broken through to the Grandmaster Realm, stepping through the Heaven Gate in a single instant!
His moves were now unrestrained, no longer bound by conventions and difficult to predict.
Li Hao’s eyes were cold as he glanced at his sword. For a swordsman, losing their sword should have been a mark of disgrace. Any other swordsman would have chosen to face Li Tiangang's strike head-on, preferring severe injury to releasing their weapon.
But Li Hao had never adhered to the ideals of a swordsman.
Be it sword, fist, or anything else, he would use whatever could serve as a weapon.
Weapons were external; the self was the core.
These thoughts made Li Hao’s mind clearer and calmer. Although he had just entered the Grandmaster Realm, breaking through his mental barriers, he had yet to establish his own path as a Grandmaster.
But now, he was beginning to grasp it.
Rules and frameworks didn’t inherently exist in the world. They only came into being because of people.
But what about this vast universe?
The sun, moon, and stars, rivers, flowers, trees—they all existed uniquely, harmonizing with one another and complementing each other.
True harmony wasn’t forced through rules but achieved through natural compatibility.
It was never one-sided!
Second Uncle’s words about half a step perhaps meant just that.
Taking one’s half-step is enough!
A brilliant light erupted in Li Hao’s eyes as countless martial techniques and skills converged in his mind.
“The myriad phenomena of heaven and earth—why should I be bound by them?”
“There are countless rivers in this world, but ultimately... all streams return to the same source!”
Li Hao had found his path. Although he had only glimpsed the first step, he now knew the direction he needed to take.
A majestic aura condensed from his body. Without a sword in hand, though he could still emit sword energy, it lacked the might of a Divine Weapon.
Thus, Li Hao chose his fists.
His fists, cultivated to the Sixth Stage, were no weaker than his sword!
Facing Li Tiangang’s shocked and furious gaze, Li Hao felt an overwhelming urge to shatter it with his fists. Throwing his head back, he roared to the heavens. The ground beneath his feet cracked inch by inch, and the terrifying force caused the earth to sink. Countless martial techniques merged into his fists.
His body charged forward, his fists as vast as mountains and rivers!
The form of his punch retained traces of the Half-Step Invincible Fist, but only superficially.
“Reckless fool!”
Li Tiangang snapped out of his shock. His brows seemed to ignite with divine flames. “I have shown mercy repeatedly, yet you remain obstinate!”
A terrifying aura erupted from him as the might of the Three Immortals surged. Suppressing his grievous injuries, he briefly activated the strength of the Unaging Stage.
His heavily injured body showed faint signs of recovery, and his cultivation seemed to climb.
This method would result in greater damage later, but Li Hao’s overwhelming aura left him with no other choice.
He resolved to utterly crush Li Hao, stubborn as he was, even if he had reached the Grandmaster Realm!
“Tiangang!”
Li Qingzheng and the others arrived, their sorrowful cries echoing as they witnessed the scene.
Li Tiangang unleashed his self-created ultimate palm technique, a culmination of countless techniques and insights, radiating like the blazing sun.
Boundless golden light illuminated the area, plunging the surrounding streets into darkness by comparison.
Li Hao's eyes were bloodshot, as if crying tears of blood. The energy within his body surged frantically. He activated the unique trait of Seven Phoenixes Lighting Lamps, doubling his power!
Though this would leave side effects and render him powerless afterward, such concerns no longer mattered at this moment.
“Ahhh!”
Li Hao roared in fury, his body exploding with dazzling true energy. The fusion of his Heavenly Avatar and his Object Manipulation Divine Ability, along with every ounce of his strength, was condensed into a single punch!
He charged like a moth drawn to a flame, hurtling toward Li Tiangang’s overwhelmingly destructive golden palm.
The next moment, his figure was engulfed by divine radiance.
Boom!
The heavens and earth seemed to tremble as a deafening explosion erupted.
Terrifying cracks formed across the street, and the ensuing shockwave ripped apart nearby buildings.
Li Qingzheng hurriedly took action to move the inhabitants of those houses to safety, shielding them from the destructive force.
The brilliant golden palm disintegrated and scattered in an explosive burst.
The spectators strained their eyes to see. In the aftermath of such chaos, none dared intervene—save for Li Qingzheng, Li Xuanli, and Li Fenghua. Even then, they only watched helplessly, unable to interfere.
The lone exception was Lin Wujing, who, though standing apart like a mere observer, gazed solemnly at the unfolding scene with eyes filled with shock.
As the divine golden palm dissolved, Li Tiangang couldn’t suppress a mouthful of blood. His rage-filled strike had drained him, and the residual force of Li Hao’s punch scattered his aura, tearing his robe apart.
His clothing, though robust, was not battle armor. His upper body was now exposed save for his pants, revealing a muscular, scarred torso.
Countless scars crisscrossed his body like earthworms—a testament to the brutal battles he had endured on the borderlands.
Even at the Three Immortals Realm, with an Unbreakable Body, his injuries accumulated to this extent. It spoke volumes of the ferocity of those fourteen years of war and countless life-and-death struggles.
In stark contrast to Li Tiangang’s battered figure, Li Hao was hurled back like a cannonball. His punch, though infused with all his strength, failed to reach Li Tiangang before being shattered.
After flying several hundred meters, Li Hao finally came to a stop. His eyes revealed shock and frustration.
He had just stepped into the Grandmaster Realm and had no time to consolidate his cultivation, hurriedly cobbling together all his martial techniques. He hadn’t reached his full potential.
But this punch was still the strongest he could unleash.
And yet, he lost.
The disparity in cultivation levels, combined with Li Tiangang’s status as someone who surpassed ordinary prodigies, was insurmountable.
Turning back, Li Hao saw Li Tiangang approaching, wreathed in terrifying killing intent. Step by step, the man seemed like a god emerging from flames.
The shadow of death loomed over him, but Li Hao gritted his teeth and began crawling away. Summoning a wisp of his Object Manipulation power, he propelled himself into the air in a desperate attempt to escape.
“Get down here!”
Li Tiangang roared, his aura surging again. He forcibly raised his strength to the mid-stage of the Three Immortals Realm, a level akin to thunder rumbling in the heavens.
The crushing force slammed down on Li Hao from above, knocking him from the sky and sending him plummeting to the ground. His spine felt as though it had shattered.
Even after being thrown into a pit, Li Hao refused to give up. Dragging himself out of the crater, he once again charged toward the distance.
But Li Tiangang’s figure appeared before him as though he had teleported, delivering another strike at close range.
Li Hao was sent flying once more. His ribs cracked, one after another, until they were completely shattered. His internal organs were damaged, and blood spurted from his mouth as if wrung out of him.
Blood streamed from his eyes, nose, and ears. His appearance was as pitiful as it was horrifying.
“To kill your brother and murder your father—are you truly intent on becoming a demon?”
Li Tiangang’s gaze was icy.
Li Hao struggled to his feet, his will commanding him to endure. He would not, under any circumstances, fall before this man!
Staring into those stubborn eyes, Li Tiangang’s expression grew even angrier. “What does your talent matter? Don’t forget what surname you bear! You are a Li!”
“You are part of the Li family!”
“Every member of the Li family has dedicated their lives to the clan. And you? What have you done for it?”
“Every meal you’ve eaten, every grain of rice, every servant at your beck and call—all of it comes from the Li family, from the blood and sweat of those who fight at the borders!”
“It’s your uncles, your aunts, your cousins—they’ve traded their lives to secure your wealth and comfort!”
Li Tiangang’s imposing figure advanced step by step, his gaze piercing: “You feel wronged? You think it’s unfair? True, I wasn’t there for you as a father—I let you down. But have you ever lacked for food or clothing?”
“Do you know how many children are born as orphans because their parents died on the battlefield? Should they wallow in self-pity too?”
“You say you consumed a poisonous pill—fine, let’s say that’s true. But so what?”
“You didn’t die. You’re alive. With talent like yours, does a drop of divine blood even matter?”
“You could have told me—I would’ve fought for justice on your behalf. But instead, you try to kill their widows and orphans? Have you considered how your late uncle would feel? Would his soul rest in peace?”
At last, Li Tiangang stood before Li Hao, towering over the battered youth.
“Tell me—what gives you the right to act so recklessly?”
“Is it the strength you’ve cultivated using the Li family’s resources?”
Li Hao listened to the tirade, trying to suppress the blood that surged from his mouth. His shattered ribs pressed painfully against his damaged organs.
The harder he tried to hold it in, the more it spilled forth.
Spitting out fragments of his internal organs, he raised his head to meet Li Tiangang’s gaze. A grim smile twisted his bloodied face.
“What’s the point of all this talk? Either kill me or let me go. From now on, I will no longer bear the Li name!”
When Li Tiangang uttered, “Let’s say it’s true—so what?” Li Hao no longer wanted to exchange another word with him.
He didn’t even bother explaining that, aside from food and clothing, he had never received any cultivation resources.
Why explain? It was meaningless to argue with someone like this.
At that moment, a strange sense of gratitude welled up in his heart—a gratitude directed toward the second aunt he had hated for more than a decade.
He thanked her for destroying the Divine Blood within his body!
He hated and despised even the fact that his body carried this man’s blood.