Volume 2 - Chapter 35: Coming for Him - Part 2
"I will carve my name into Tianmen Pass too!"
Among the crowd, many people shouted with fervor, their voices filled with righteous indignation.
However, not everyone shared the same enthusiasm. Some quietly retreated to the edges of the crowd, hesitant and conflicted, contemplating their chance to slip away unnoticed.
As the people gathered, a few signal flares shot skyward from within the crowd. The flares burst into trails of purple smoke, rising high into the sky—emergency distress signals summoning reinforcements against an impending siege.
The sight of the smoke was a call to arms, one that everyone who saw it would respond to.
A single cry for aid resonated, uniting thousands in its echo!
...
The Myriad Mountains Demon King’s expression darkened as his gaze swept toward the rear of the crowd. Although he didn’t think much of the disorganized mob before him, his concern lay in the possibility that members of the Li family might be hiding among them.
After all, the human boy before him belonged to the illustrious Divine General Mansion. A monstrous talent like this one surely wouldn’t lack the protection of the elder generation of the Li family.
Meanwhile, outside the pass, the tide of demons surged forward like a flood, a horde composed of countless beasts from the Myriad Mountains region—loyal subordinates of the Myriad Mountains Demon King.
As for the Dragon Lord, he had come alone, without deploying an army to prepare for battle.
When the assembled reinforcements caught sight of the incoming demon tide, they instinctively drew their weapons, readying themselves for the fight. Yet, what caught them off guard was the absence of the expected fortress.
No city. No defensive arrays. Only an empty, desolate camp.
The realization struck them like a bolt of lightning, and a profound shock filled their hearts. In that moment, they couldn’t help but feel the somber weight of the bloodshed to come.
Defending the border turned out to be this arduous and unforgiving.
And yet, this dazzling young man, who had astonished the entirety of Great Yu, had been silently holding this line, carrying the burden alone.
One man guarding a lone fortress. One man standing firm at Tianmen Pass.
Those who had hesitated before now felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. As martial artists, their blood ran hot and unyielding.
Standing here at the very edge of the nation’s territory, they suddenly seemed to grasp the hardships and sacrifices of their forebears, who had bled and toiled to open these lands.
The bloodline of bravery passed down through the centuries seemed to awaken within them at this moment.
Today, they would defend this place.
"Charge!!"
The leading grandmasters surged forward. With no fortress and no arrays, they themselves became the fortress and the array!
Battle cries filled the sky as young heroes, driven by the desire for fame and glory, hurled themselves into the demon tide, disregarding their own safety.
"Grandmaster Hao, we are going as well."
Bai Chunhai gave a slight bow to Li Hao before turning resolutely toward the battlefield at the pass.
Lin Qingfeng gave Li Hao a nod and soared off, his sword humming as it sliced through the air, leaving a brilliant arc behind.
"Who would have thought that even I would have a day to serve the dynasty?"
Zhou Haitang smiled at Li Hao, then turned to join the fray.
He had come alone, without his disciples or his daughter, having anticipated the dangers of this battle. He had made arrangements for his wife and daughter to remain safe and far away.
A man without attachments fears neither blood nor tears!
"Grandmaster Hao, for your protection of the heroic souls of my Zhao family, I cannot repay you. May our combined efforts carve a path of blood for you!"
"My Feng family ancestors’ souls owe you a great debt. Though small in stature, the Feng family shall forever be grateful!"
"My grandfather’s soul led me to enlist in the army. These demons come at the perfect time!"
"My Yan family has received great kindness. For Tianmen Pass, we are willing to give our all!"
Within the crowd, beyond the grandmasters saved by Li Hao in Dayue City, many others had come, including cultivators of the Fifteen Li Boundary.
Although some had never met Li Hao, they had traveled vast distances to stand here, drawn by the knowledge that he had defended Dayue City, safeguarded its three Martial Temples, and preserved the heroic souls enshrined within.
These souls hailed from countless noble families and sects. Some descendants had fallen into obscurity, yet upon hearing of his deeds, they came, determined to contribute whatever they could.
In addition to these volunteers, Dayue City’s generals and lieutenants had brought their troops to reinforce the pass, creating a massive assembly of warriors.
The resulting momentum was overwhelming—a surging, dark tide of humanity.
...
Feng Boping and Song Qiumo kept their energies locked onto the three demon kings. Observing the numerous figures gathering around Li Hao, they couldn’t help but feel a mix of admiration and complexity in their hearts.
These people had come for this young man, willing to risk their lives to fight alongside him.
Once, when the boy had stepped out of the most prestigious Divine General Mansion, he had been at his lowest, yet countless scholars had bid him farewell in reverence.
Now, as he sat alone guarding the snowy frontier, countless others willingly followed him into life-and-death battle.
Perhaps this was the innate charisma of the young man beside them.
...
The Myriad Mountains Demon King’s eyes grew cold. His original plan had been to let the demon tide pin down Li Hao and the others, gradually wearing them down. If they engaged the tide, they would inevitably expose weaknesses, creating an opportunity to strike.
Ideally, the demon tide would exhaust Li Hao’s mysterious powers entirely.
However, the reinforcements had stalled the tide outside the pass, preventing the demons from approaching the young man.
"Just a slap is all it takes," the Dragon Lord murmured, raising his hand toward the battlefield at the pass.
But as his palm lifted, he felt a wave of killing intent lock onto him. It came from below—Feng Boping and Song Qiumo.
Although both were at the end of their strength, they remained capable of combat.
If the Dragon Lord acted, the two would seize the opening to unleash a thunderous counterattack.
The Dragon Lord frowned slightly. While his adversaries were on their last legs, this only made them more dangerous. Desperate fighters often resorted to irreparable measures to drag their enemies down with them.
His extensive experience, accumulated over countless battles spanning millennia, made him cautious. A grave injury, even after defeating Li Hao, could leave him vulnerable to other forces.
The three demon kings had formed a temporary alliance, but mutual distrust prevented them from fully committing to an all-out assault. Otherwise, without such misgivings, they would have attacked with full force already.
The clash outside the pass raged on, yet at Li Hao’s position, a tense silence prevailed.
The air was taut, their energies locking onto one another, waiting for an opening or an opportunity...
If the demonic tide broke through and reached Li Hao, it would signal the perfect moment for the three demon kings to launch their attack.
But the battle continued to hold them at bay, with no movement from either side.
Compared to the frenzied slaughter outside, the stillness in this part of the battlefield seemed eerie, as if the very sound had been stripped away.
The battle outside showed no signs of abating, with the number of reinforcements steadily increasing. Most of the grandmasters who had gathered for the grand debate of the martial world had come, their numbers now surpassing half of those originally present at the event.
By contrast, the Myriad Mountains Demon King’s forces were fewer in number, relying primarily on the Three Immortals Realm demons leading the charge. These powerful entities spearheaded the attacks, causing heavy losses among the grandmasters defending the pass.
The Myriad Mountains Demon King squinted as he observed the battlefield. His forces were gaining the upper hand, and a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
But just then, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the Dragon Pass Path.
The Myriad Mountains Demon King’s face darkened as he looked up and saw yet another wave of reinforcements approaching. A mighty banner came into view, fluttering in the wind as it drew closer.
It was a regular army, advancing in a disciplined formation to reinforce the battlefield!
The Myriad Mountains Demon King’s expression grew grim. He knew this was Great Yu Divine Dynasty's border, and the arrival of military reinforcements was inevitable. Still, he hadn’t expected them to arrive so quickly.
The earlier signal flares had clearly summoned these forces, and the longer the battle dragged on, the more reinforcements would gather—an increasingly unfavorable situation.
“Do you want to try?” the silver-robed young man asked, glancing at the Myriad Mountains Demon King.
The implication was clear: he wanted the Myriad Mountains Demon King to take the lead in testing Li Hao’s mysterious attack.
If the demon king refused to act, neither he nor the Dragon Lord would be willing to charge forward. After all, it wasn’t their offspring who had died.
The Myriad Mountains Demon King’s face twisted with frustration. The earlier death of Gao Xiong had left him apprehensive, as the method of death had been baffling and abrupt. It was as if he had been crushed to death by a mere pebble, utterly inexplicable.
Yet the Myriad Mountains Demon King also understood that if he didn’t break the stalemate now, they would be forced to retreat.
The entire reason he had rushed to assemble his forces and march here was to deny the enemy any chance to regroup.
With Gao Xiong gone, their overall strength had already diminished. If they allowed the humans to recover, there would be no chance for revenge.
"I’ll go!"
The thought of his fallen kin reignited a savage gleam in the Myriad Mountains Demon King’s eyes. Letting out a ferocious roar, he made the first move to break the deadlock.
His body expanded, exuding overwhelming demonic energy as his true form emerged. With a mighty roar, he swung his enormous clawed hand down toward the ground, aiming to annihilate everything below.
...
Feng Boping and Song Qiumo’s expressions shifted drastically. In their current weakened state, they couldn’t withstand this attack. If they attempted to intervene, the other two demon kings would seize the opportunity to strike them down.
Li Hao inhaled deeply, and with calm resolve, he took out the Sacred Heart Talisman granted to him by the Emperor.
The talisman absorbed a sliver of Li Hao’s power, activating its inscriptions in an instant. It erupted with a dazzling divine light, shining like a radiant sun. The brilliance surged forth, forming a protective barrier around the three of them, blocking the massive claw that spanned hundreds of meters.