Volume 2 - Chapter 12: They Have All Arrived
“They’re here.”
Li Hongzhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though she had anticipated this moment, the reality of the demon invasion sent a surge of tension through her. Her grip on the sword hilt tightened involuntarily.
An overwhelming aura of demonic energy swept in like a dark cloud, covering the skies without the slightest attempt at concealment.
Four towering figures stood outside the camp. The cold wind swirled around them, dissipating a hundred zhang away from their forms, unable to come any closer.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He exchanged solemn glances before stepping forward in unison, subtly shielding Li Hao behind them.
Though there had been disagreements earlier, Li He hadn’t forgotten his duty.
As for Li Hongzhuang, she considered it only natural to protect Li Hao as his aunt. No matter what, this child must not be harmed.
Li Hao, however, had no intention of relying on their protection. He handed the manual in his hand to Ren Qianqian before gently patting the head of the little white fox, signaling for it to stay calm.
Then, he picked up the pig-tooth sword at his feet. The massive blade, larger than himself, resembled a crescent-shaped gate panel.
“Two are Undying Realm, and two are Unbreakable Realm.”
Li Hongzhuang’s sharp senses detected the unrestrained demonic energy emanating from the four demons. She quickly assessed their cultivation levels, recognizing two of them from previous battles—these demons had attacked the camp before.
“Li He, can you handle one in the Undying Realm?” she asked.
Though Li He was only in the Unbreakable Realm, his mastery of the Li family’s pinnacle techniques and extensive resources had honed his true energy to exceed others of the same rank. Unless the demon had significant backing, Li He was confident he could stand his ground.
“I can hold one off, but killing it would be difficult,” he replied gravely.
“Understood.”
Li Hongzhuang glanced at Li Hao, who had moved to her side. “Li He and I will draw the two Undying Realm demons away. You hold off the others as best as you can. Once I kill one, I’ll come to reinforce you. Be careful—there may be an ambush in the shadows!”
“There are two hiding in the shadows,” Li Hao said unexpectedly.
His words stunned the others.
Black energy swirled within Li Hao’s eyes—a result of cultivating the Mingyu True Demon Technique. This body-refining technique had tempered his entire being, even enhancing his vision. His eyes, imbued with ominous energy, could pierce through the illusions of demonic sorcery and lock onto hidden presences.
Li Hongzhuang and Li He’s expressions changed drastically.
Six demons?
They couldn’t afford to divide their forces under such circumstances; doing so would risk being picked off one by one.
Li Hongzhuang cast a glance at the distant graveyard, sorrow flickering in her eyes.
She had always known this day would come but hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.
She couldn’t… stay here with her brothers any longer.
“Prepare to retreat,” she said softly, taking a deep breath. “I’ll cover you. Li He, take care of Hao’er.”
“Yes!” Li He responded immediately.
“There’s no need.”
Li Hao shook his head, dragging the pig-tooth sword as he strode forward. The rough edge of the blade carved a deep groove into the ground.
“I came here to guard this city. You can leave, but I will not.”
“Hao’er!”
Li Hongzhuang’s face darkened with anger and alarm. “This is no time for stubbornness—your life is more important!”
Li He opened his mouth to persuade the obstinate young master, but the four demons outside the camp could wait no longer. They strode forward into the camp with heavy steps.
“Hongzhuang, last time I asked you to be my wife, and you refused. Today, you have another chance. Will you accept, or will you reject me again?”
A massive azure peacock demon stepped over the barrier. With each step, his form shifted naturally into that of an elegant young man.
Tall and refined, he exuded grace, fanning himself leisurely as he approached. Yet, the thick demonic energy swirling above him remained, faintly forming the phantom of a colossal peacock.
Li Hongzhuang’s gaze turned icy as she stepped forward. “I’ll agree to be your wife—if you kill that grotesque creature next to you as my betrothal gift.”
Standing beside the peacock youth was a gargantuan frog demon, its hulking form like a mountain. A long, scorpion-like tail coiled and swayed behind it, ready to strike at any moment.
At Li Hongzhuang’s words, the frog demon opened its grotesque mouth, revealing countless razor-sharp teeth. “You’re dead! I’ll chew you into pieces!”
The peacock youth glanced at the frog demon with amused disdain. “I think her suggestion is excellent, Brother Tu. Why not comply?”
“Shut up!”
The frog demon roared, spitting corrosive saliva onto the peacock youth, who brushed it off with a flick of his sleeve.
“Enough talk,” growled another demon—a massive black-furred bull demon whose shaggy coat bristled like needles. “I heard it was a human boy who killed Chi Tiger Lord. That must be the little one over there. And he also slew the Six-Tusked Stabbing Boar.”
The bull demon’s gaze, along with that of the other demons, locked onto Li Hao with suffocating intensity.
Before they could act, a red shadow flashed before him.
Li Hongzhuang stood firm, her slender figure clad in battered crimson battle armor, resembling an unyielding spear.
“I heavily injured Chi Tiger Lord,” she said coldly. “That boy only finished him off and stole the credit. If you have the guts, come for me!”
“Don’t worry,” the frog demon sneered, baring its fangs. “None of you are leaving alive today. Once I break her arms and legs, she’ll make a fine wife—even with those long limbs of hers!”
“She’s my wife. Don’t call her ugly just because you’re short,” the peacock youth quipped with a faint smile.
The frog demon shot him an angry glare but didn’t bother arguing further. It abruptly opened its mouth, launching a red, molten shadow straight at the trio.
Li Hongzhuang’s pupils contracted. She swung her sword fiercely, sending a sharp arc of sword energy slicing through the air.
The sword energy clashed against the frog demon’s grotesque, sinewy tongue, producing a metallic screech as sparks flew from the impact. The enormous tongue recoiled, momentarily thwarted, but the frog demon surged forward with terrifying force.
Its massive limbs propelled it into the air with explosive power. The ground beneath its launch cracked and sank as though struck by a meteorite, sending debris flying in all directions.
Dust swirled chaotically in the aftermath of the leap. However, near the peacock youth, an invisible barrier of power kept the flying particles at bay. Fanning himself nonchalantly, he turned up his nose, visibly repulsed by the chaos.
“Ten Elephant Demon Power!”
The frog demon roared, its demonic energy coalescing into the shape of a colossal elephant. With the momentum of a crashing mountain, its massive body charged at Li Hongzhuang, Li He, and Li Hao.
All three leaped simultaneously to avoid the strike, unwilling to meet its raw force head-on.
...
[Fishing Experience +412]
A faint notification flashed across Li Hao’s mental interface.
He wasn’t surprised.
The frog demon’s massive forelimb had grazed one of the invisible fishing lines he had left behind. Made of condensed energy, the line had successfully hooked the demon, initiating the fishing process. Though the demon hadn’t fully taken the bait yet, the mere contact had already yielded feedback in the form of experience.
Li Hao knew that even if a catch escaped, the system still awarded experience based on the creature’s strength. For a Three Immortals Realm demon like this, the mere act of hooking it had granted over 400 points. If he managed to reel it in completely, the reward would be even more astonishing.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
At the same time, the frog demon noticed the faint tension around its forelimb—a peculiar and unfamiliar force was wrapping around it.
“What is this strange human technique?” the demon thought, interpreting the fishing line as a peculiar form of combat art.
“Roar!!”
The frog demon released a deafening sonic roar. The shockwaves reverberated through the battlefield, forcing Li Hongzhuang and Li He to stumble slightly. Their faces flushed as their qi and blood churned uncomfortably under the auditory assault.
Yet, just as the roar threatened to overwhelm them, Li Hao entered a state of heightened clarity, as though enlightenment had struck him.
The third stage of the Music Dao resonated within his mind, allowing him to manipulate his body’s energy flow in perfect harmony. Using his entire body’s 84,000 pores as resonators, he let out a counter-roar:
“Roaaarrr!!”
Li Hao’s roar reverberated with the power of a ferocious tiger and the majesty of a true dragon. It seemed to carry the very essence of life’s primal defiance, shattering the frog demon’s sonic attack in mid-air.
The battlefield fell eerily silent for a brief moment as the demon's sonic waves were overpowered and dissipated.
The frog demon hesitated, stunned by the boy’s ability to match and even suppress its roar. Li Hongzhuang and Li He seized the opportunity to recover, their faces filled with a mixture of shock and gratitude.
Without Li Hao’s timely intervention, the frog demon’s continuous sonic attack would have left them vulnerable to further strikes.
“We can’t let this one live!” Li Hongzhuang’s eyes flashed with killing intent as she charged forward.
“This is a probing attack. The hidden demons will strike soon if we don’t act decisively,” Li He warned as he moved to support her.
The frog demon, now alone at the forefront of the assault, found itself the target of relentless attacks.
Li Hao joined in, slashing the pig-tooth sword with immense force. The blade’s energy erupted like an avalanche, sending countless snowflake-like slashes cascading down upon the frog demon.
Each strike reverberated with a metallic screech as the sword energy clashed against the demon’s razor-sharp teeth. Though the inner flesh of its mouth bore shallow wounds, the demon’s sturdy physique largely mitigated the damage.
“This one’s body is tougher than most Three Immortals Realm demons I’ve encountered,” Li Hao thought, recalling his experience from the previous day.
The apparent softness of the frog demon’s inner flesh belied its true resilience—it was even more durable than the outer hides of many Three Immortals Realm demons.
While the others pressed the attack, Li Hao began to pull on the fishing line. He had mastered the Hidden Line technique within the fifth stage of the Fishing Dao, allowing him to keep his lines almost imperceptible. Even the frog demon, with its heightened senses, failed to detect the full extent of the trap.
The fishing line, infused with condensed energy, snaked its way around the demon’s body, tightening around its limbs and even extending toward its sensitive eyes.
At the tip of the line, the energy coalesced into a barbed hook—a massive, serrated weapon designed to embed deeply into flesh. Li Hao remembered the advice of his second uncle: “Even a Three Immortals Realm demon can’t escape once the hook is set. Reel it in, and it’s yours.”
Though it had only been a few years since then, Li Hao was already capable of applying those lessons against a demon of this caliber.
“What is this thing?!”
The frog demon roared in frustration. It could feel something sharp and dangerous wrapping around its body, but its eyes couldn’t fully perceive the trap.
Meanwhile, the peacock youth laughed as he faced off against Li Hongzhuang. “My dear Hongzhuang, don’t strain yourself so much. Just surrender and come with me peacefully.”
Li Hongzhuang’s response was a furious flurry of sword strikes, each one sharper and faster than the last. The peacock youth had no choice but to retreat, his fan barely deflecting the incoming attacks.
“Why so fierce?!” he muttered, his expression growing grim as he realized she wasn’t holding back.
On another part of the battlefield, the bull demon charged toward Li He with thundering steps. Its massive horns gleamed with violet energy, exuding an oppressive aura.
But as it barreled forward, one of its hooves caught on an invisible line. The bull demon stumbled, narrowly avoiding a fall, and glanced down to see a faint scratch across its leg.
“What—?”
Before it could investigate further, the ground around it erupted into jagged earthen spikes, tearing through the remains of the camp. This defensive measure, triggered by its demonic energy, created a chaotic field of destruction.
The bull demon surveyed its surroundings warily, recalling its master’s warning about potential traps. It unleashed a wave of black light to sweep the area, scattering debris and breaking apart weaker lines.
Li Hao paid no mind to the broken line—the second hook had only been a distraction. His focus remained on the frog demon, his primary target.
The fishing hook burrowed deeper into the demon’s flesh, sending sharp pain radiating through its body. Though it struggled to shake off the line, the hook had already latched onto a vital point.
Li Hao’s energy surged as he pulled the line tighter. The hook extended barbs inside the demon’s flesh, creating a claw-like grip that firmly anchored itself.
“Get out of my way!”
The frog demon roared, leaping high into the air in a desperate attempt to flee. However, its path was already predicted—Li Hao had placed another line directly in its trajectory.
As the demon soared, the new line snapped taut, driving the hook deeper into its abdomen. Blood spurted as the hook ripped through flesh and embedded itself even further.
Li Hao’s eyes lit up with anticipation. Manipulating the hook with precision, he maneuvered it toward the demon’s core.
“Pain!”
The frog demon screamed in agony as the hook reached its vital organs.
...
Its chest was pierced, leaving a massive, gaping wound. The once-proud display of its vibrant, fan-like tail feathers had collapsed, dragging limply along the ground.