Volume 2 - Chapter 43: Slaying Demons Beyond the Pass - Part 2
The desiccated corpse fixed its gaze on Li Hao while transmitting a message telepathically to the alluring centipede woman beside it. "You go kill the boy, and I’ll deal with the person behind him."
The centipede woman glanced around but saw no one else. Cautious nonetheless, she let out a seductive laugh and said, "Where did this adorable human come from? Little brother, don’t you think I’m beautiful?"
Her lower body, previously a centipede's form, contracted and transformed into slender, pale legs as she swayed gracefully toward Li Hao.
A gust of demonic wind swept through the area as her enchanting sorcery was unleashed, capable of affecting even those in the Heaven and Man Realm.
Li Hao remained motionless.
Bang!
Suddenly, as though slapped by an invisible force, the centipede woman’s head exploded.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and the charming smile frozen on her lips turned grotesque.
Her body was sent flying backward, transforming into an enormous centipede as it crashed to the ground. Its head was shattered, and a frightened spirit emerged from within.
What kind of monstrous human was this? Clearly, he was only in the Three Immortals Realm. Why had her husband ordered her to kill him?
The desiccated corpse, who had just turned to flee, froze mid-step as its expression became rigid.
Not even a distraction was possible?
"I don’t have much patience. Speak clearly."
Li Hao’s voice was calm as a wisp of sword energy rose from the ground like a starry streak, piercing through the desiccated corpse’s shoulder before flying back and hovering inches before its eyes.
The icy killing intent made the desiccated corpse feel as if its nonexistent heart had skipped a beat.
Compared to their last encounter, the young man’s strength seemed to have reached a level it could no longer comprehend.
Had he broken through to the Fourth Pillar Realm?
It must have been mistaken; that was impossible.
As the shadow of death loomed over it, the desiccated corpse swallowed nervously and divulged everything it knew under Li Hao’s menacing gaze.
When it finished, Li Hao showed no mercy. A casual flick of sword energy pierced through its body, obliterating its spirit.
As for the alluring centipede woman’s spirit, Li Hao didn’t spare it either. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the power of heaven and earth to annihilate it.
The desiccated corpse, merely in the Undying Stage, had attempted to reveal its true form and fight Li Hao, but the disparity in power was too great.
"…Liang Province, Dragon Gate…"
Li Hao’s gaze sharpened. The information the desiccated corpse had revealed wasn’t much, but it confirmed that the demons had their sights on Liang Province, aligning with the military reports Li Xuanli had sent earlier.
However, according to Second Uncle, the Dragon Gate was one of the top-tier demon factions.
The powerhouses within the Dragon Gate were comparable to those of the Divine General Mansion.
If the Dragon Gate were to mobilize all its forces to attack Liang Province, flames of war would engulf the entire region.
The Li Family alone might not be able to defend such vast territory.
Shaking his head slightly, Li Hao dismissed the thoughts for now. For the moment, it was only rumors. He would focus on securing Tianmen Pass first.
Li Hao explored the dojo with his spirit, retrieving some leftover demonic materials. However, none of them were particularly rare or valuable.
Among the items, he found four demonic cultivation methods, which he recorded on his panel. All of them were body refinement techniques.
Standing in the dojo, Li Hao practiced each method one by one. However, the areas they refined overlapped significantly, only adding 300,000 jin of strength to his physical body.
Now, his physical strength had reached 1.3 million jin.
In his divine power state, it surged to 13 million jin—such a physique was considered monstrously powerful even among demons.
Leaving the Dragon Mountain Dojo, Li Hao stomped his foot mid-air, causing the entire dojo to collapse into ruins. Only then did he turn and head toward the Holy Peak of the Sacred Demon King.
When Li Hao arrived, however, the place was deserted. The three demons beyond the pass, who had previously gathered to kill him, had abandoned their lairs and fled to unknown locations.
Li Hao felt a pang of disappointment. Once afraid of encountering these demon kings and confined to fishing along the fringes of the pass, he now sought them as practice opponents but found none.
With no other choice, Li Hao turned his sights further afield.
He severed the Holy Peak and left, delving deeper into the unknown...
...
At the Fiery Cavern.
For a hundred miles around, the terrain was barren black rock. Within the cave was a living volcano, its magma flowing freely.
Scarlet snakes and fire lizards coiled near the magma pools, some assuming semi-demonic forms—lizard torsos with snow-white human legs clinging to the rock walls like geckos.
At that moment, a small black-feathered sparrow flew into the cave from outside.
Upon landing, it transformed into a girl of six or seven years old, her features delicate and doll-like, though her expression was mature. Scanning her surroundings, she quickly lowered her head and transmitted a message.
Soon, the magma surged, and a massive crimson-scaled python emerged from the pool, its overwhelming demonic aura unchecked.
The most striking feature was the fork in its neck, where three serpent heads loomed.
"Tianji Hall, how goes the investigation I tasked you with? Have the Void Realm cultivators truly entered the mortal world?"
The little girl, seeing the enormous Crimson-Scaled Three-Headed Python, adopted a respectful demeanor and answered sweetly:
"Lord Three-Faced Serpent, you can rest assured that Tianji Hall has completed your task. We have gathered all the information you need."
"The Void Realm cultivators have indeed entered the mortal world. This time, they plan to attack Liang Province under the leadership of the Dragon Gate, with the support of the Sacred Palace."
"Additionally, the Myriad Mountains Demon King failed to conquer Tianmen Mountain. Both the Dragon Lord and Sacred Demon King have fled to parts unknown, leaving their territories vacant."
"The Grand Preceptor of Northern Frost Kingdom, once a subordinate of the Myriad Mountains Demon King, has also retreated. With the kingdom now lacking a preceptor, you might consider sending one of your subordinates to fill the position, should it interest you."
Hearing this, the Crimson-Scaled Three-Headed Python’s eyes glinted as one head sneered, "That old Demon King was a fool, and its idiotic son deserved to die. I’ve heard it was a human who killed him—what a cause for celebration."
"Should we accept the Dragon Gate’s invitation?" asked another head.
The three heads seemed to possess independent thoughts, each with its own tone and manner.
The largest head in the center remained silent, its gaze dignified and deep. It spat out two blood-red gemstones toward the girl.
"Here is your payment."
"Thank you, Lord Three-Faced Serpent."
The girl accepted the reward with visible delight, then bowed respectfully. "Do you have any further instructions?"
"Not for now. You may leave."
"Understood."
The girl’s body surged with demonic energy, transforming back into the black sparrow as she flew out of the cave.
Soaring high into the sky, the black sparrow climbed into the clouds, executing a secret technique to conceal itself.
But just as its body was about to vanish, a golden sword light suddenly shot forth, severing its wings.