Chapter 71: Merit
“Whose flying sword is this?!”
“Is there a Fifteen Li expert here?!”
Everyone was astonished and elated, scanning their surroundings. Could it be that the Xia Family had arrived?
Song Yueyao was momentarily stunned, and a figure popped into her mind. However, the person she thought of had previously used the broken Demon-Slaying Blade, not this sword. Could it really be the Xia Family?
Speaking of which, where was that guy?
Song Yueyao couldn’t help but look around, but she didn’t see Li Hao anywhere. Similarly, she also didn’t see any Xia Family generals. Perhaps they were standing somewhere unnoticed.
While the crowd rejoiced, the remaining great demons were all in a panic.
This development was far too sudden, completely unexpected!
Reinforcements? The Xia Family?
Whatever it was, the Red-Browed Daoist was dead!
If even he had been slain in an instant, what chance did the remaining Spiritual Wandering Realm great demons have?
Moreover, it was said that the Red-Browed Daoist had cultivated in the Sacred Palace and had a thousand years of Daoist attainment. Even among Fifteen Li experts, he was considered exceptionally powerful. The True God of Great Strength from the Blackwind Mountains, once a tyrant outside Cangyu City and hailed as the Giant Demon King, had been defeated by the Red-Browed Daoist and forced to follow his orders.
Yet, before the Xia Family's Fifteen Li expert, the Red-Browed Daoist was so powerless?
The great demons were terrified and quickly retreated. As for the demon tide below, it was no longer their concern.
As the great demons fled, the other Soul Fusion Realm demon creatures noticed the trend. With the Red-Browed Demon King fallen, how could they continue the fight?
The demon horde behind them was still charging forward, but the demons at the front had already turned and fled in panic. Their chaotic collisions caused the entire demon tide to devolve into utter disarray.
Meanwhile, after the flying sword had slain the Red-Browed Daoist, Li Hao continued to control it, weaving through the battlefield to hunt down the escaping Spiritual Wandering Realm great demons.
These great demons still had the potential to regroup and pose a threat, and Li Hao wasn’t about to let them go.
The swordlight, like divine lightning, streaked swiftly across the battlefield. The fleeing great demons tried to resist, deploying their life-preserving demonic arts. However, under the flying sword’s unparalleled speed and immense power, they were defenseless. Without suspense, they were easily pierced through.
One after another, the great demons let out tragic cries as they fell.
They could only scatter in different directions, hoping that Li Hao's range of control would be insufficient to chase them all down.
But as Li Hao controlled the flying sword, he himself had already moved, flying towards the northern part of the city.
Wei Feng, who had initially been preparing to retreat, changed his mind at the sight. With someone as powerful as Li Hao, a Fifteen Li expert, unless there was a Heaven and Man Realm great demon among the enemy, the city was likely safe.
And if there truly was a Heaven and Man Realm great demon, it wouldn’t need to rely on other demons to create such chaos. A single incense stick’s time would be enough for it to massacre the city.
However, a Heaven and Man Realm great demon entering human territory was exceedingly risky. Such an act of slaughter would inevitably lead to pursuit by the Divine General Mansion to the ends of the earth, making it a rare occurrence.
If they mixed with the demon clans at the borders to invade, they wouldn’t be individually marked for pursuit, and retreating to the demon territories for safety would be much easier.
With this thought in mind, Wei Feng immediately took Ren Qianqian and Li Yuanzhao with him, leaping forward to follow Li Hao. He wanted to witness the outcome of this battle firsthand. Having him close at hand meant that if things took a turn for the worse, they could retreat in time to save themselves.
Meanwhile, as Li Hao moved, his control over the flying sword expanded. The great demons of the Spiritual Wandering Realm had yet to escape the battlefield before being killed one by one.
“His range of control over objects is this vast?!”
A great demon, which had compressed its body into a small cluster of black mist, heard the sound of a sword slicing through the air from behind. Its eyes filled with despair.
Swish!
The swordlight swept through, scattering the black mist.
As all eight of the great demons in the Spiritual Wandering Realm fell, Li Hao redirected the flying sword toward the demon tide.
The swordlight darted through the horde like a needle through cloth, spraying blood with each strike. The demons were slaughtered mercilessly.
The once-menacing demon tide was reduced to a sea of blood and countless corpses within moments. Those who remained either fled or scattered.
Seeing this, the commander on the city wall immediately rallied others to pursue the retreating demons.
Liu Shunqing and the Qi Family led their disciples out to hunt down the fleeing creatures. This was a rare opportunity to earn merit.
In less than half an incense stick’s time, the demon tide had completely collapsed.
Looking down from the city wall, the battlefield was strewn with demon corpses. The most striking sight was the severed body of the Crimson Flood Dragon, cut into three pieces. The city defenders felt as if they were dreaming.
They had been utterly desperate, some even writing their last wills and leaving them in their tents at the barracks, yet the city had been saved.
A demon attack on the city?
Under the relentless assault of that flying sword, it seemed more like a farce. The imposing momentum with which the demons arrived dissipated just as quickly.
The demon cloud lingering in the north dissolved with the death of the Red-Browed Daoist and the other Spiritual Wandering Realm great demons. The sky cleared once again.
On the city wall, the soldiers raised their hands in jubilant cheers.
When Yue Shuhong arrived, he saw only the remnants of the scattered demon horde and stood there in a daze.
For twenty years, he had dealt with demons, navigating between deceit and diplomacy, painstakingly managing survival. And yet... it all crumbled before a youth with a single sword?
His heart surged with mixed emotions—excitement, grief, and an indescribable bitterness.
For years, he had sought help and endured countless indignities, only for his efforts to seem futile.
Strength alone could solve all obstacles. Hadn’t he always known this truth?
Yet, with his position here, burdened by official duties, how much time had he ever had for cultivation? Yue Shuhong stood silently, a lump forming in his throat, before releasing a faint, drawn-out sigh.
The demon tide was over. With such a heavy loss to their numbers, it would be decades before demons dared to invade Cangyu City again.
But what about him?
He smiled bitterly, then composed himself and walked toward Li Hao.
“Young Master Li, I, Yue, shamelessly offer my deepest gratitude on behalf of all the citizens of Cangyu City for your rescue!”
Yue Shuhong’s expression was solemn as he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply before Li Hao.
Li Hao raised his hand, summoning the flying sword back from the horizon. Like a drifting cloud, it returned to his palm. He glanced at the city governor before him—a middle-aged man with a weathered face, his skin roughened by the elements.
“It was a simple task; there’s no need to be so formal,” Li Hao said calmly.
A trace of bitterness flashed across Yue Shuhong’s lips before he continued, “As for my dealings with demons and fraternizing with their kind, I will submit a report to the court. Furthermore, I will also submit a record of your meritorious defense of the city. With all the soldiers here as witnesses, your contribution will not go unrecognized.”
“Merit?” Li Hao shook his head slightly, uninterested. “It’s a minor matter.”
Seeing Li Hao’s calm and indifferent demeanor, Yue Shuhong was momentarily stunned. He could tell that the youth’s clear gaze was not feigning modesty.
Still, whether or not Li Hao cared about such things didn’t matter. As Yue Shuhong had said, this achievement was too significant to be overlooked.
In normal circumstances, earning merit was exceedingly difficult. Even during times of war, achieving significant accolades was challenging. The most common ways were storming the enemy frontlines, being the first to climb city walls, capturing enemy banners, or slaying generals.
Other ways included capturing key figures or achieving total annihilation.
Storming the front or being the first to scale the walls were typically considered second-class merits, which, according to the Great Yu laws of reward and rank, granted the title of Second-Class Noble.
Capturing banners or slaying generals were considered first-class merits and were much harder to achieve, granting the rank of Third-Class Noble.
In the Great Yu Dynasty, noble titles ranged from noblemen to viscounts, earls, marquises, and dukes. Above the dukes were the most illustrious divine lords.
The founders of the Five Divine General Mansions were all divine lords, who followed the founding emperor into battle, established the Great Yu Dynasty, and left behind legacies that had endured for millennia.
Except for divine lords, all other noble titles were further divided into three levels. For example, earning a first-class merit could elevate someone directly to the rank of First-Class Nobleman. A second-class merit, on the other hand, could lead to the rank of Second-Class Nobleman.
For someone already holding a noble title, earning another first-class merit or three second-class merits could promote them to the next rank. For instance, a nobleman could advance to a viscount and would be granted fertile lands and properties, becoming a landed aristocrat. An earl, however, would also be granted a fiefdom.
Earning merit was exceptionally difficult, but today, Li Hao had single-handedly defended an entire city’s populace. Such an achievement far surpassed a first-class merit.
As for how the court would calculate his contribution, Yue Shuhong didn’t bother to speculate. That was for the court to decide, but at a minimum, it would likely grant him the title of Third-Class Viscount.