Volume 2 - Chapter 35: Here for Him - Part 1
Seeing the three Demon Kings return to counterattack, Li Hao's heart sank to the bottom.
"Bet you didn’t expect this, huh? That we’d come back for revenge!"
Myriad Mountains Demon King grinned, but his gaze was menacing. When he had seen Li Hao's strange state earlier, he had guessed it was a kind of secret technique and decisively retreated.
Without a doubt, no matter what kind of technique it was, such an exaggerated increase in strength couldn’t be sustained for long.
With this in mind, he waited until the energies in the area subsided before launching a surprise attack, intending to devour all three of them to avenge his brothers and son!
"I’ve never tasted qilin meat before, Daoist friend," the Dragon Lord remarked, his eyes landing on Song Qiumo. His smile was unsettling, sending a chill through the air.
Song Qiumo and Feng Boping's faces turned grim. Nevertheless, they immediately stood up, their auras surging as they shielded Li Hao.
Yet at this moment, they had reached the end of their strength, with little energy left to fight.
Song Qiumo’s expression was complex. She, too, was at the Reverse Fate Realm, but her one chance to reverse fate had already been used. Otherwise, she might have been able to hold off the three Demon Kings, if only temporarily.
"Just a bluff. Kill them!"
The silver-robed youth was the first to step forward, ready to attack. But suddenly, a vast and majestic aura swept through the air.
Behind Song Qiumo and Feng Boping, the blood-drenched figure of the young man, his body already fractured, began to crack once more. His bones creaked as if shattering, and his body, still riddled with scars, began to swell slowly again.
Sensing this surge of power, Feng Boping and Song Qiumo turned their heads in shock. They saw Li Hao’s crimson eyes, blood streaming down his face as his body shattered and sprayed blood in all directions.
"Hao’er..." Feng Boping gasped.
Li Hao stepped forward, one step at a time, as the Immortal Qi that had been dormant earlier was once again activated, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth.
Though his body was on the verge of collapse, he raised his head to stare resolutely at the three Demon Kings in the sky, his voice cold:
"Did you really think I could only use this secret technique once?"
The three Demon Kings, including Myriad Mountains Demon King, were all stunned. The silver-robed youth halted his advance, staring at the boy whose body seemed ready to disintegrate at any moment. The terrifying collapsing force emanating from him made the youth hesitate.
Earlier, the Black Bird Demon King had died inexplicably, and he still didn’t understand how.
The longer one lived, the more one cherished life. Faced with such an unfathomable and bizarre situation, he chose caution.
"All bark and no bite," Myriad Mountains Demon King sneered. Despite his anger, retreat was already on his mind. However, his face showed nothing but disdain. Raising his hand sharply, he unleashed a vast demonic palm that descended like a smoky cloud, intending to obliterate everything within hundreds of meters.
Li Hao's Dragon Sky Sword responded with a sharp cry, slashing out a radiant strike.
The Dragon Soul soared into the sky, colliding with the demonic palm and tearing it apart. The countless scales on the Dragon Soul erupted like shards of light, transforming into innumerable sword auras.
Myriad Mountains Demon King’s expression shifted slightly as he quickly struck out again to block the sword auras while retreating hastily.
"You little brat, just you wait!"
The silver-robed youth followed closely behind as they retreated, leaving the Dragon Lord standing there with a trace of doubt. Although he could sense the overwhelming power Li Hao had just unleashed, rivaling the peak of the Dao Heart Realm, he couldn’t see why they should fear it.
Yet since Myriad Mountains Demon King had chosen to retreat, there was no point in him staying.
"Looks like it’ll have to wait until next time," the Dragon Lord muttered regretfully, casting a glance at Song Qiumo before swiftly departing.
The three great Demon Kings came as quickly as they left.
In the blink of an eye, the skies cleared, and the demonic aura dissipated.
Li Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, quickly closing his pores and sealing his body to cut off the connection to heaven and earth.
However, this time, it was even harder. Feng Lao and Song Qiumo once again managed to squeeze out some of their remaining strength to erect a barrier for Li Hao.
Fortunately, this battle had not been too intense. Half an incense stick later, Li Hao barely managed to stabilize his fractured body. However, compared to the earlier cracks, the damage from this second collapse was even more severe—his flesh had already peeled off, dissolving into the world around him.
If it happened a third time, he might be reduced to little more than skin and bones.
His internal organs would likely be exposed.
These Demon Kings’ caution and cunning were beyond compare.
Enduring excruciating pain, Li Hao forced himself into a state of calm and slowly began to conceal his energy, halting the injuries ravaging his body.
"We must leave immediately. They’ll definitely come back!" Feng Boping urged when he saw that Li Hao’s condition had stabilized and that his life was no longer in immediate danger.
Song Qiumo nodded slightly. Although she didn’t know why Li Hao could still use such a bizarre secret technique, one thing was clear: if it happened again, Li Hao wouldn’t survive.
They had to leave while they could.
Li Hao did not refuse. He understood that staying here would accomplish nothing and would only lead to all of them perishing at Tianmen Pass.
The promise he had made seemed destined to go unfulfilled.
This realization unsettled his otherwise tranquil heart, nearly breaking his concentration.
But just as the three of them retreated into the fortress, the ground began to tremble.
When Li Hao had entered his "Immortal Ascension" state earlier, the many concealed formations he had placed across a hundred li outside the pass had dissipated, leaving him unable to monitor their surroundings.
Now, this tremor could only be sensed through physical perception.
"It’s a demon horde!"
Feng Boping was the first to investigate. Retracting his hand from the ground, his face darkened. "They’re a hundred li away and moving fast—one minute, maybe less, before they’re here!"
Song Qiumo supported Li Hao’s blood-soaked body, her fingers brushing against the sticky, cracked flesh. A pang of unease and pity welled up within her as her heart filled with hatred. Without hesitation, she declared, "We need to leave now!"
She prepared to carry Li Hao and fly in another direction. But suddenly, three figures appeared as if teleporting, blocking their path. They were none other than the three Demon Kings who had just left.
"It seems this secret technique takes a heavy toll on the user," Myriad Mountains Demon King observed as he noticed Li Hao’s even more wretched appearance. He immediately deduced that the technique caused immense damage to the body and couldn’t be used many times. His heart settled with reassurance.
"Who would’ve thought that 'next time' would come so quickly?" The Dragon Lord smiled faintly, his tone tinged with mockery.
Feng Boping’s face darkened. He transmitted his voice to Song Qiumo, saying, "You take Hao’er and go. I’ll hold them off."
"You…" Song Qiumo looked at him, her expression changing slightly. She seemed to understand what he intended to do.
Li Hao’s face grew somber as he recognized the three Demon Kings' strategy. They intended to trap them here, relying on the approaching demon horde to exhaust their strength before finishing them off.
Their cruelty and cunning were beyond words.
Perhaps the only option left was to unleash his power completely, holding nothing back, and enter the final phase of Immortal Ascension.
That was the pinnacle of his fusion with the heavens, where his body and the world would merge to their utmost limits. Only a sliver of his consciousness would remain, but in that moment, he would achieve unmatched power.
Maybe then, he could suppress the three Demon Kings and carve out a path of survival for Feng Lao and Song Qiumo.
With this in mind, Li Hao took a deep breath. He looked at Feng Lao, who had silently stepped forward to shield him, and said slowly, "You two should go. I’ll handle this."
Feng Boping’s voice was firm as he responded, "Hao’er, you have a bright future ahead of you. This time, listen to me."
A faint smile tugged at Li Hao’s lips. "This was my fight to begin with. I’ve already dragged you into it. Let me take care of it this time."
As he spoke, he prepared to release his Immortal Qi again, drawing on the power of the heavens and earth.
But at that moment, the ground began to tremble once more, the vibrations growing stronger by the second.
Another wave of demons?
Li Hao and the others were taken aback, their expressions shifting. However, this time the tremors came from within the borders, along the Dragon Pass Path.
The three Demon Kings also noticed this, their faces showing a hint of confusion as they turned to look.
With the tremors, the sound of battle cries echoed in the distance, faint at first but growing louder and more overwhelming, surging through Tianmen Pass like a tide.
"Kill! Kill!!"
"Young Master Hao, we’re here!!"
"More demons! Faster, move faster!!"
A group of figures charged forward on horseback, their attire varied, indicating that they hailed from all nineteen provinces of Great Yu.
Above them, cultivators flew through the sky, among them Heaven and Man Realm experts and even masters of the Three Immortals Realm.
Within the group, two experts of the Three Immortals Realm stood out. When they saw the three Demon Kings confronting Li Hao, their previously furious expressions froze, replaced by a stunned disbelief. For a moment, they didn’t know whether to advance or retreat.
They had anticipated Demon King-level enemies but hadn’t expected there to be three of them.
As for the rest of the riders charging forward, they noticed the Demon Kings but couldn’t fully sense their overwhelming auras due to the difference in cultivation levels.
The tide of mounted warriors surged into the stronghold, galloping into the encampment.
When they saw the desolation and destruction that had ravaged the area, the bloodshed and ruins strewn everywhere, they were all taken aback by the devastation of the battleground.
"Master Hao, we’re here!"
Numerous Heaven and Man Realm experts darted forward. But when they saw Li Hao’s mangled body, his flesh torn and blood-soaked, looking more like a bloodied corpse, they were utterly shocked.
Not long ago, this young man had stood tall and proud on the Longjiang Dao Discussion Platform, suppressing the world’s martial masters with a single finger, his elegance shining through the ages. And now, he was in such a miserable state.
"Are these three… Demon Kings?"
One of the cultivators detected the terrifying and restrained auras emanating from the three figures. His eyes widened as he speculated, his heart pounding in fear. Could it be that these were great Demon Kings, and not just ordinary ones?
"We arrived too late."
From within the crowd, Bai Chunhai stepped forward, flanked by Lin Qingfeng, another Grandmaster.
Since their departure from Dayue City, they had learned of Li Hao’s feat in slaying Wan Shan’s son and anticipated retaliation from the Myriad Mountains Demon King. Thus, they had been keeping tabs on him.
From various sources, they had pieced together the details of the battle at Qingzhou City and Li Hao’s pledge to defend Tianmen Pass.
As a result, many had set out for Tianmen Pass, hoping to repay the favor Li Hao had once shown them. For some, it was an act of patriotism, while for others, it was personal gratitude for his assistance.
Recently, rumors had spread that the Myriad Mountains Demon King planned to attack Tianmen Pass, prompting them to gather reinforcements from nearby cities and head to the pass as quickly as possible.
And it seemed they had arrived just in time.
Seeing the waves of reinforcements, Li Hao’s expression shifted. "This isn’t a place where you should stay. Leave now!"
"Are these three Demon Kings?"
Lin Qingfeng, sensing the terrifying energy radiating from the three, hesitated. If he had known beforehand, he might have reconsidered coming. However, now that they were here…
There was no turning back.
Moreover, he recognized one of the figures near Li Hao. It was Song Qiumo of Tangong Academy, a well-known figure in the martial arts world.
"Young Master Hao, we’ll hold off the demon horde. You leave first!"
One of the Grandmasters stepped forward. This man had been saved by Li Hao during a battle when Li Hao’s Dragon Sky Sword had slain seven demons in a single strike, pulling him back from the brink of death.
Li Hao might not remember him, but he had never forgotten the favor.
As a Grandmaster, while he feared death, he wasn’t someone who would cower in the face of danger.
"We cannot let the strongest young Grandmaster of Great Yu die here. Master Hao, go now!"
"Brothers, didn’t we come here to make our mark? Now’s the perfect chance!"
"Let us take on the border’s icy winds together!"