Volume 2 - Chapter 10: Li Tiangang’s Confrontation - Part 1
Li Hao immediately restrained the energy within his body. He flexed his hands and feet lightly, and relying on his insights into the Body Dao at the sixth stage, coupled with the meticulous perception of a Grandmaster, he effortlessly gauged the strength of his physical body at this moment.
"Approximately 400,000 jin."
Initially, his strength was at 100,000 jin. Later, as his cultivation in the Body Dao progressed and the Primeval Technique was completed up to the fourth chapter, "Primeval," along with enhancements from other techniques, his physical strength increased to over 300,000 jin.
Now, this perfected Demonic Technique granted him a direct boost of 100,000 jin.
Although the increase seemed small and insignificant compared to the millions of jin of force true qi could generate, pure physical strength exceeding 100,000 jin was already a rare feat. Even the strongest of the human race at the Fourth Pillar Realm would struggle to achieve such strength outside of demonic beings.
The greater the physical strength, the greater the body’s capacity to endure the surging impact of qi.
For others, reversing qi and blood might cost them half their life, but for Li Hao, at most, it would leave him coughing up clotted blood before recovering.
As he mastered the Five Organs Primordial Unity Technique, not only did his physical strength improve, but Li Hao also felt that his internal organs were now as strong as gold and iron. Whether walking, sitting, or standing, they provided him with unwavering support.
Li Hao didn’t pause. He began cultivating another technique, the Mingyu True Demon Technique.
This method primarily honed the external body. As he cultivated, the energies of heaven and earth gathered once again, surging rapidly into his body.
The energy resembled a black haze, shrouding the once-clear night sky with stars and moonlight.
This technique specialized in condensing and refining baleful energy, and this battlefield was the perfect location, dense with the malevolent aura of death.
Countless threads of black baleful energy coiled around Li Hao, enveloping him. Encased in the ominous energy, he appeared like a true demon. When his eyes opened and closed, faint crimson light seemed to flash forth.
“Did he just master that technique?”
In the shadows, Li He watched in a daze. As Li Hao shifted to another technique, the scene of his cultivation grew even more terrifying than before.
The earlier technique had gone from unfamiliar to perfected through just a few repetitions, seven or eight at most.
“So... this is the young master’s secret?”
“To reach perfection in just a few repetitions?”
Li He wasn’t the only one stunned. In the distance, Li Hongzhuang was also taken aback. She had encountered many prodigies but had never seen one like this.
Even her ninth brother, in his younger days of cultivating, needed several days to master a single technique.
At the time, while others might still be puzzling over the fundamentals of a technique overnight, by the next day, her ninth brother had already grasped it, earning him the admiration of his siblings.
Yet in front of her, Li Hao didn’t just master a technique overnight—he achieved perfection.
In less than a single night!
As the baleful energy continuously flowed into him, forging and tempering every part of his body, Li Hao’s physique improved rapidly. His skin turned as white as jade, reminiscent of glazed porcelain, brimming with fluid-like strength beneath the surface.
While absorbing the baleful energy, Li Hao began practicing again.
The first cycle. The second cycle...
With each repetition, the baleful energy surged toward him like a storm.
In no time, after the eighth cycle, the Mingyu True Demon Technique had been cultivated to perfection.
The surrounding baleful energy subsided, allowing the starlight and moonlight to shine once more, illuminating the boy’s body.
Li Hao exhaled lightly and looked down at himself. His fingernails were pale and translucent, but with a slight effort, a faint black baleful aura seemed to ripple through them.
This was, after all, a demonic technique, originally designed for demonic physiques.
However, through the lens of the Body Dao, he had adapted it into a body-refining technique suitable for the human race.
Still, the core demonic essence and sinister undertone inherent in the technique couldn’t be entirely removed.
Li Hao closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. A faint trace of black mist flashed across his gaze, sharpening his vision to an unprecedented clarity.
In the shadows to his left, he could faintly make out the blurry outline of someone hiding—Li He.
He chose to ignore it. At this point, there was no need to conceal or disguise anything. This was no longer the Li family estate.
Finishing his cultivation, Li Hao once again assessed his physical strength.
His pure physical power had risen to approximately 550,000 jin.
The improvement brought by this demonic technique was even more significant than that of the Five Organs Primordial Unity Technique.
Yet, it still hadn’t reached the physical limits of the Tongli Realm.
Could the threshold be as high as a million jin? Li Hao’s eyes glimmered. Normally, at the Tongli Realm, physical strength would barely reach tens of thousands of jin. This was already a hundredfold difference...
He couldn’t help but wonder how astonishing the limits of higher realms might be.
No wonder even the records of Tingyu Pavilion did not document the limits of each stage. Without the aid of his panel, such heights were beyond the grasp of ordinary cultivators.
Looking up at the starlit sky, Li Hao pondered briefly before deciding not to act further, entering a light slumber instead.
Li Hongzhuang glanced at the boy and resisted the urge to approach him for questions. Tonight, after Li Hao had slain King Chi-Tiger, there was likely to be a fierce battle tomorrow. She needed to adjust her condition quickly.
Without the shelter of city walls, the dawn’s light spilled over the pass like a warm hand brushing gently across the faces of the two.
Li Hao awoke from his light slumber. Thanks to the characteristic of Conceal Light and Cultivate Darkness, even one to two hours of shallow rest was enough to dispel his fatigue.
Still, apart from recovering energy, sleeping was quite comfortable.
Unfortunately, the harsh conditions outside the pass no longer allowed for such indulgence.
Li Hao rummaged through the camp, found some paper, and began writing again.
Li Hongzhuang also woke up. The early winter morning carried a faint frost, and her breath turned to mist as she spoke:
“Writing another technique?”
“Yes.”
“Today, there might be a fierce battle.”
“We’ll deal with it when it comes.”
Li Hao’s tone was casual, as if he didn’t care.
Li Hongzhuang glanced at the technique Li Hao was writing and remarked, “Even if you finish writing it, there’s no one to deliver it back.”
“Perhaps this old gentleman can help,” Li Hao said, looking toward the hidden figure of Li He.
Li He hadn’t expected Li Hao to sense his location. His expression shifted slightly, but seeing that there was no point in hiding anymore, he stepped forward openly.
“I’m here under your father’s orders to protect you. Without his personal decree, I won’t leave.”
“Old sir, you’d best change your tone and stop addressing him as ‘your father’ so casually.”
Li Hao frowned, staring at him coldly.
Li He hesitated, feeling a chill. Though he had heard about the father-son conflict in Qingzhou City, he found it hard to believe that such a deep rift could truly exist.
“Young Master, you’re being rather rude,” Li He said solemnly, his face stern.
“To you, or to someone else?”
Li Hao’s narrowed gaze flashed with dangerous black mist.
Li He noticed the ominous aura but responded firmly, “To your father, of course. As for how you treat me, I don’t mind...”
Before he could finish, the young man on the ground suddenly erupted into motion.
A fist shot out with a whistle of wind.
Li He froze momentarily. His expression shifted sharply, and he raised a hand to block the attack.
Boom!
The impact of the two forces sent shockwaves rippling outward. Li He’s body was hurled backward, sliding tens of meters before he could stabilize himself. His elderly face now bore a look of utter astonishment.
Earlier, watching Li Hao slay two Three Immortals Great Demons, Li He had remained a passive observer. Yet, none of that compared to the sheer force he felt now.
Li Hao’s punch carried such overwhelming power that Li He struggled to withstand it.
“I’m letting you off because you’re a senior, but if you don’t learn to watch your words, I’ll make sure you can’t speak again!”
Li Hao stood rooted in place, his cold gaze sweeping over Li He before turning away without pursuit.
Li He’s face darkened, and though his lips parted as if to speak, he ultimately held his tongue. The frigid glint in the young man’s eyes was not something he could ignore.
If Li Hao had gone all out as he had the day before, Li He might not have been able to block the attack at all. After all, his role here wasn’t to fight the boy but to protect him.
“Haoyue!”
Li Hongzhuang called out in displeasure. Seeing Li Hao truly strike Li He, her brows furrowed.
Li Hao glanced at her, his tone equally indifferent: “Senior Hongzhuang, I hope that while I’m busy slaying demons, I can at least have peace of mind. I trust you understand my meaning.”
Hearing Li Hao’s formal and distant words, Li Hongzhuang’s expression shifted slightly.
She couldn’t fathom what had caused such a rift between father and son. Why did the mere mention of his father provoke such rejection that even she became subject to his coldness?
She sighed inwardly and said no more.
Li Hao returned to his seat as if nothing had happened, resuming his work on the manuals.
Li He clasped his hands behind his back, but his fingers, which had absorbed the force of Li Hao’s punch, trembled slightly.
Fortunately, as someone at the Three Immortals Realm, his regenerative abilities were formidable. Even severed limbs could regrow, and his meridians quickly realigned.
Li He cast a deep glance at the young man, a tinge of pity flashing through his heart. He couldn’t help but wonder whether the letter he had sent to Qingzhou City had already reached its recipient.
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