Volume 2 - Chapter 27: Li Tiangang, He Defeated Your Younger Self - Part 1
"The final lesson?"
Hearing Li Hao's words, the disciples of the White Hall froze in disbelief.
In the face of the overwhelming tide of demons, with Dayue City on the brink of destruction, Li Hao still remembered the lesson he owed them.
Buzz!
Before anyone could react, the Longxiao Sword in Li Hao's hand let out a resonating hum, releasing streams of sword energy like cracks in ice. The sword energy coiled around his arm.
"Rising Tides!"
Li Hao ascended the city walls, stepping into the air with the bearing of a transcendent being, exuding an unworldly calm and poise.
The cultivation technique within him surged rapidly, forcibly igniting the third stage of the Seven-Star Illumination.
The power flowing through his meridians converged into his palm. In that instant, those nearby seemed to hear the calls of seabirds and the crashing of waves—a sound born from the friction of unleashed sword energy.
The Longxiao Sword shot out from his grasp. Simultaneously, an illusion of surging waves seemed to spread across the city wall, conjured by the boundless sword energy gathering from his strike.
The soaring Longxiao Sword transformed into a roaring true dragon, its form coiling as it carried the might of the ocean tides to clash head-on with the demonic tide miles away.
In an instant, waves of sword energy surged forward, drowning everything in their path.
Within the torrent, the Longxiao Sword danced like a joyful dragon, roaring and rampaging. In mere moments, it pierced through and obliterated countless demons, their bodies bursting into clouds of blood mist.
Such a fearsome display left everyone on the city wall—soldiers and cultivators like Shen Yunqing—utterly stupefied.
With only his strength, he subdued an entire tide of demons!
This sword embodied Rising Moon, Boundless Sea · Tides, and Falling Snow Sword Technique, blending the concepts of waves and avalanches. Its intricate mastery and profound artistry barely matched the newly comprehended Reincarnation Sword Technique.
But while the Reincarnation Sword Technique focused on singular explosive strikes, this was a wide-reaching tide of sword energy.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of sonic booms erupted. Within the demon tide, countless sprays of blood exploded and were drawn into the sword tide.
Demons of the Soul Fusion Realm, Spiritual Wandering Realm, and even the Fifteen-Li Realm were as insignificant as grains of sand swept away by the waves, incapable of resistance or survival, and were mercilessly slaughtered.
Only a few Heaven-and-Man Realm demons managed to barely hold their ground by employing demonic arts and spiritual treasures to protect themselves.
Yet as the sword tide swept through, more and more demons perished, allowing strands of sword energy to merge and concentrate on targeting the mightier demons.
Additionally, the resulting massive streams of sword energy gradually revealed different Grandmaster Martial Dao concepts:
Stars and Moon, Birds and Flowers, Falling Leaves...
Decay, Sharpness, Swiftness...
Amid the tide, the myriad manifestations of Grandmaster intents surged like rising waves, crashing into the demonic tide with ferocity.
Shen Yunqing's pupils contracted, his eyes widening. Zhao Zongyuan hurriedly shouted, "Quick, observe closely!"
The disciples of the White Hall strained to keep their eyes wide open. Beyond their shock, they sought to understand how this sword was created and how it could produce such an overwhelming spectacle.
"Don't focus on the sword techniques. You won't understand them! He’s not teaching you sword moves; he's teaching the Dao—the Sword Dao!"
Shen Yunqing shouted excitedly, his face alight with fervor. He too was nervously observing, desperate to imprint the sword intents into his mind.
"Is this the Grandmaster Martial Dao he has comprehended? How can it encompass so much?"
Su Yehua stared blankly, a mix of astonishment and disbelief surging within her as she was drawn into the countless waves of sword energy. Each wave contained a Grandmaster Martial Dao!
Among the defenders on the wall were several Grandmasters, including Bai Chunhai, who had previously been defeated by Li Hao, and his disciple. They, too, stood in stunned silence as they beheld the scene.
That youthful figure, standing calmly in the chaos, exuded an air of invincibility.
The surging tide of sword energy was terrifying beyond belief—unprecedented and unimaginable.
"Hurry, observe carefully!"
Bai Chunhai snapped out of his stupor and urged his burly disciple behind him.
The disciple's gaze was already dazed, entirely enraptured by the majestic sword intent of the tide.
"Is this the pinnacle of the Grandmaster Realm..."
Bai Chunhai muttered to himself, his thoughts drifting to the painting the young man had once sought to purchase. If they survived this, giving it up might not be such a sacrifice.
Outside the city, the demonic tide was in utter chaos. The relentless tide had been forcefully pushed back ten miles, unable to advance further.
The vanguard of the demon army had been reduced to blood-stained corpses, their bodies riddled with small but fatal wounds.
Leading the tide was a demon of the Three Immortals Realm. Its eyes were filled with shock, unable to fathom how a human Grandmaster could unleash such an attack.
To sustain such a vast range of sword energy attacks, the sheer expenditure of energy seemed impossible unless one had reached the Undying Realm.
"Damn it!"
The demon’s expression twisted in rage. With the death of a lesser demon king, retreat was not an option.
"Kill!!"
It roared as it charged recklessly, aiming directly for the divine sword that had transformed into a true dragon.
At the same time, the Longxiao Sword detected the Three Immortals Realm demon, letting out a hum as it shot out of the demonic horde and rushed toward its new target.
"Maze Swamp Overwhelm!"
The great demon roared, unleashing countless streams of black, swamp-like light. The ground beneath it decayed into a marsh, from which a mud dragon emerged to strike at the Longxiao Sword.
With a thunderous crack, the radiant Longxiao Sword sliced through the mud dragon like a divine hammer, piercing through the demon’s body in an instant.
The countless specks of mud were swept away by the sword tide and instantly obliterated.
The great demon panicked, knowing its body was not as resilient as those in the Undying Realm. The divine sword's sharpness was terrifying. Although its heart burned with anger, its instinct to survive surged. It chose to flee.
The Longxiao Sword gave chase but soon disappeared from sight.
Before the great demon could make sense of its situation, a sudden dragon roar came from behind, as if a massive dragon had leapt out of the sword tide. The dragon ruthlessly struck its body, shattering it into pieces.
Countless strands of sword energy swept over, unleashing a thousand blades that forcibly hacked its body apart.
Its divine soul emerged, searching desperately for a place to hide. Screaming in terror, it burned its soul in an attempt to flee, but the Longxiao Sword whipped its tail around, obliterating the soul entirely.
Having dispatched the great demon, the Longxiao Sword returned to the demonic tide, continuing its rampage and cutting down countless demons.
Within moments, the once-massive demonic tide had been reduced to a scattering of barely a thousand demons, who finally awakened to their peril and chose to flee in disarray.
The Longxiao Sword pursued them relentlessly, covering a range of a hundred miles. Even as the sword tide dissipated, the Longxiao Sword streaked through the remaining demons like a golden needle, eliminating them one by one until not a single one survived.
The defenders atop the city wall, who had been so tense that their palms were slick with sweat, suddenly felt as if they had awakened from a dream. The overwhelming despair of the situation had been entirely reversed by a single person and his sword—it was beyond belief.
The resonant hum of the Longxiao Sword pierced the air as it flew back from miles away, streaking like a golden beam of divine light until it returned to Li Hao's hand.
Li Hao's face was pale, his exhaustion evident. Subduing the horde of demons by himself had taken a significant toll.
Back at Cangyu City, he had also single-handedly slain a vast number of demons, but this time the stakes were different. The earlier battle with the Wan Mountain Lesser Demon King had already drained much of his energy.
Furthermore, the demons in this tide were far stronger than those at Cangyu City. The Fifteen-Li Realm demons seemed to be mere lieutenants, while seven or eight Heaven-and-Man Realm demons and the Three Immortals Realm great demon were forces capable of easily annihilating a city.
Li Hao steadied his breath, composing himself as he turned to Su Yehua, the White Hall disciples, and the others behind him. He had displayed everything he could; how much they could learn or remember now depended on their own understanding.
"I’ll go check elsewhere."
Li Hao spoke calmly, stepping forward toward another city gate.
His divine soul emerged from behind him, scanning the area. He saw that the other three walls were also under siege by the demonic tide, with chaotic battles raging.
Without hesitation, Li Hao mounted his sword and charged into the fray.
This time, he no longer had the strength to unleash another tide of sword energy. He could only rely on the sharpness of the Longxiao Sword, using the last vestiges of his object manipulation ability to move quickly and slay demons.
Even so, with the Longxiao Sword joining the fray, the defenders on the western wall quickly felt their burden lighten. Several Grandmasters who had been on the verge of being overwhelmed by demons found themselves suddenly rescued as the golden divine sword whirled through the horde, cutting down their enemies and freeing them.
Recognizing the sword, the Grandmasters exchanged complicated glances. Despite having sparred with Li Hao during the earlier Grandmaster debates—some even aligned with Wuliang Mountain against him—he had not hesitated to save them.
Their expressions betrayed their inner conflict. After steadying themselves, they returned to the battle, reinforcing their comrades.
Before long, the western wall’s crisis subsided. With Li Hao’s help and the combined efforts of the defenders, the demonic tide on this side was eradicated.
As the danger on the western wall eased, Li Hao once again mounted his sword and headed for the northern wall.
Here, the gate had already been breached, and demons were flooding into the city.
The Longxiao Sword flew ahead, swiftly eliminating the few demons that had breached the defensive line. Its radiant blade streaked into the demonic ranks, cutting down foes with ease. With the sword’s unmatched sharpness, even Li Hao’s minimal manipulation was enough to wreak havoc.
By now, his strength was nearly depleted, his exhaustion evident. Without the Longxiao Sword, if he had been using the pig-tooth sword he had painstakingly crafted earlier, the results would have been far less effective.
The sheer power of this divine weapon was astonishing. In the hands of a strong cultivator, it could serve as a superweapon in such a siege battle.
Li He, the Helian family, and another Three Immortals Realm cultivator held back the great demons within the tide. Meanwhile, Li Hao focused on aiding others in clearing the remaining demonic horde. Reinforcements from the western and eastern walls, now freed of their burdens, arrived to help.
The tide began to falter. The demons’ retreat became inevitable.
Li Hao glanced over the battlefield. At some point, the corpse of the Wan Mountain Lesser Demon King had vanished. It must have been stolen away by one of the remaining demons.
Shaking his head in mild disappointment, Li Hao dismissed the matter. Given his unique condition, the demon king’s blood and flesh would have been of little use to him. With a sword in hand, he had all he needed.
As the tide of destruction faded, Li Hao casually tossed the Longxiao Sword into the air.
The sword streaked across the battlefield, flying over ten miles to the Grandmaster Arena, landing in Ren Qianqian’s arms like a falling autumn leaf.
Relieved to see the divine sword safely return, Ren Qianqian exhaled, knowing that Li Hao was unharmed. Her current strength, not yet having reached the Spiritual Wandering Realm, prevented her from sensing the events beyond the city.
Suspended in midair, Li Hao surveyed the battlefield. The oppressive black clouds of demonic energy had finally dissipated.
He wondered how Feng Lao was faring.
Though Li Hao felt a tinge of worry, he reminded himself of Feng Lao’s expertise. While the elder’s direct combat strength might not be overwhelming, his escape techniques were unmatched—even capable of evading the Second Master. The demons likely couldn’t harm him.
As Li Hao pondered, a familiar, lighthearted voice broke the silence.
“Kid, I asked you to hold out for a quarter of an hour, and you went and killed that little demon king.”
Turning around, Li Hao saw a plain-clothed figure appear behind him. Feng Lao’s robes were slightly tattered, with bloodstains at the edges—but it wasn’t his blood.
Li Hao let out a breath of relief. “What about the demon?”
“It fled.”
Feng Lao replied casually, “I could’ve chased it down, but it would’ve led me out of the area. Once it crossed the border, the situation would become tricky.”
“It’s good you’re fine,” Li Hao said with a faint smile. He wasn’t particularly concerned about the demon king’s survival; if not today, there would be other opportunities to eliminate it.
“You’ve got guts, worrying about me.” Feng Lao chuckled. “By killing that lesser demon king, you forced the demon king to make a mistake. I managed to heavily wound it. Otherwise, it might have gone berserk trying to kill you.”
In just a few words, Li Hao could imagine how fierce Feng Lao’s battle must have been.
“Hearing what the lesser demon king said, that demon king likely belongs to the Wan Mountain Demon King faction. I hadn’t expected there to be two demon kings there—it seems some of our intelligence was inaccurate,” Li Hao remarked.
Feng Lao nodded slightly. “If the demon king doesn’t reveal itself and chooses to hide, it’s not easy to detect.”
He glanced at Li Hao. “You need to increase your strength quickly. In half a year, trouble may be brewing.”
Li Hao froze momentarily, understanding the implication of Feng Lao’s words. His eyes grew serious.
Today’s slaying of the lesser demon king would undoubtedly reach the demons’ ears and the Wan Mountain Demon King’s attention.
If there had only been one demon king, Feng Lao’s protection would’ve sufficed. But now, with two demon kings, an attack six months from now, after Song Qiumo had left, seemed inevitable.
If the enemy grew even more reckless, they might act sooner.
Regardless, enmity with the Wan Mountain Demon King was now firmly established.
“Six months...”
Li Hao sighed softly. If he gave up pursuing the pinnacle of the Grandmaster Realm, six months of focused cultivation might allow him to harmonize his Dao Heart with his spirit and ascend to the Three Immortals Realm, perhaps even the Fourth Pillar Realm.
But missing the Grandmaster pinnacle would leave his Dao Heart incomplete, making it nearly impossible to achieve it later.
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