Volume 2 - Chapter 44: Pushing Through Three Thousand Miles Alone – Part 2
Mount Wufeng.
The mountain stood steep and towering, like a sharp blade piercing the heavens.
Despite its name, "Wufeng" (literally "No Peak") did not refer to its own lack of a peak but rather to how the surrounding mountains paled in comparison, unworthy of being called peaks in its presence.
At the summit, two massive figures sat drinking and eating with gusto. Around them, branches hung with tattered, skin-like remains, including those of humans and demons.
The air reeked of blood, and the ground was littered with scattered bones and broken corpses.
"Brother Yuan, that old man from the Northern Frost Kingdom has sent us another batch of meat. They're plump and succulent this time," said one.
"Brother, hold off on eating for now. Let’s have some fun first. Human flesh, with its delicate texture, has its own charm," said the other.
"Haha, you're right about that," the first replied.
As they drank deeply and tore into a snow-white leg, devouring it ravenously, a sudden whistling sound tore through the air.
"Hm? What’s that? Who dares to trespass into our territory?"
Both looked up at the same time and saw a young man, resplendent in fine clothing, flying toward them through the sky.
"A human?"
They were stunned for a moment, surprised. "Could he be from the Northern Frost Kingdom?"
But as the young man drew nearer, something felt off. They could not sense the depth of his aura nor discern his cultivation level.
This could only mean one of two things: either he practiced a concealment technique, or his cultivation surpassed theirs entirely.
Yet both of them were in the Three Immortals Realm...
Could he be an ancient human cultivator, disguising his true form with the appearance of youth?
Before they could ponder further, a flying sword roared to life, streaking toward them with lethal speed.
The two froze momentarily, then roared in fury, revealing their true forms.
One became a four-armed giant ape, and the other a tiger adorned with golden stripes.
Both radiated an ancient and powerful demonic aura, their bloodlines carrying the legacy of Demon Kings. These were no ordinary beasts. With savage intent, they lunged toward the young man.
"Tai Chi Qian Kun Sword!"
Li Hao flicked his wrist, guiding the Dragon Sky Sword. In midair, the sword spun rapidly, conjuring a shadow of yin and yang before crashing toward the mountaintop with immense force.
The two beasts roared, their demonic energy surging wildly and engulfing the surrounding hundreds of meters. Each summoned their weapons, with the four-armed giant ape wielding four at once as it charged to meet the Tai Chi Qian Kun Sword head-on.
With a resounding crash, the yin-yang force within the sword light disarmed the ape of its four weapons, flinging them away while severing two of its arms.
In an instant, the ape plummeted from the sky.
The golden-striped tiger, meanwhile, roared and charged straight at Li Hao.
Li Hao raised his palm and pressed it down slowly.
The object manipulation power he commanded siphoned the energy of heaven and earth within a ten-mile radius, consolidating it into a mountainous force that pressed downward.
The tiger roared in terror, slashing its claws frantically to resist, but it was crushed against Mount Wufeng, causing the entire peak to collapse beneath the pressure.
Under Li Hao’s control, the Dragon Sky Sword transformed into a streak of golden light, piercing the body of the four-armed giant ape.
As the ape’s terrified eyes watched, the sword curved in a crescent arc, severing its head cleanly before it fell to the ground.
The sword then shot into the collapsed mountain below. A tiger’s roar echoed, mingled with a final, anguished cry.
In mere moments, the two great demons of the Three Immortals Realm had perished.
The Dragon Sky Sword soared back into the air, returning to its sheath on Li Hao’s back.
Li Hao glanced at the remains and summoned his divine soul. With a flick of his object manipulation power, he lifted the two demon corpses, wrapping them in energy. These spoils were substantial, with materials for crafting and a rare delicacy of demon flesh.
But first, he would need to remove their internal organs.
"Feng Lao, can your spatial realm still accommodate anything?" Li Hao asked.
Upon reaching the Dao Heart Realm, cultivators could use their Dao Heart to create a personal spatial realm for storage.
He recalled the many times Feng Boping and Second Lord had casually pulled out fine wines and fishing rods from such spaces while fishing.
"These two demons are too large to fit," Feng Boping replied as he appeared, shaking his head. "Spatial realms are quite small—good for carrying smaller items, but that’s about it."
Seeing this, Li Hao had no choice but to bind the two demon corpses with dark threads, trailing them behind him.
"Let’s go," Li Hao said, continuing his journey to explore further.
...
Shortly after Li Hao and Feng Lao departed, a bird with dark blue wings flew in from afar, landing atop the ruined Mount Wufeng.
As it took in the collapsed mountain, its eyes widened in shock.
"This… this place is gone too?"
Its azure feathers shimmered faintly as it dived like a shadow into the rubble, searching.
Soon, it discovered bloodstains and the residual aura of the two great demons.
"Both dead..."
The bird trembled, ascending swiftly into the sky. From its wing, it produced a jade whistle and blew it sharply.
The sound waves rippled outward, carrying a signal.
In mere moments, birds across a three-hundred-mile radius froze mid-flight, pausing to listen to the message.
"Human invasion?!"
Hearing the transmission, many of the birds were taken aback. While the term "invasion" was familiar, hearing "human" as the invader was unexpected...
They hesitated only briefly before each took out a whistle and began blowing, spreading the news farther.
The sound, inaudible to ordinary humans, could only be detected by those trained in a specific technique.
As the message spread, its range grew wider. Within moments, the network of birds extended across a thousand miles. Among them, two birds suddenly changed direction, flying swiftly toward another area.
At the same time, near the entrance to the fire cavern where Li Hao had recently been...
A palm-sized black bird, resembling a crow, flew in. Its glossy feathers shimmered faintly as it landed on a rock, pecking casually at a worm it carried in its beak.
To an observer, it looked like an ordinary bird.
But its sharp eyes darted around, surveying its surroundings. Sensing no activity, it quickly devoured the worm and flew into the fire cavern.
Inside, the grim aftermath of battle was evident.
The dismembered remains of the three-faced snake demon lay in pieces, and the ground was strewn with the corpses of other demons.
Soon, the crow-like bird spotted a black-feathered corpse among the carnage.
“Master Ming!”
The bird flew swiftly to the corpse, examining it carefully before confirming that the being had indeed committed suicide.
“So that’s why Master Ming’s soul marker shattered...”
Grief flickered in its eyes, but it wasted no time. It began tearing through the feathers on the corpse, peeling back the chest and digging into the blood-soaked flesh.
Within moments, the bird discovered a section of pulsing blood vessels. The veins twisted, forming a pattern that conveyed demonic text.
It was a brief but critical message—a final piece of intelligence left behind by Master Ming before death.
The Tianji Hall specialized in intelligence, weaving through the most dangerous of demon forces by mastering the art of information gathering. Their strength wasn’t in combat, but in precision and secrecy.
As the crow deciphered the demonic message, its pupils shrank in shock.
“That human youth from the Li family... dares to venture alone into demon territory?!”
The revelation left it stunned. If this news spread, the surrounding demon forces would undoubtedly be thrown into chaos.
The bird knew well how many demons harbored grudges against the Li family. If they caught wind of the youth’s whereabouts, they would rush from thousands of miles away to annihilate him.
Previously, the young man had been attacked within the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, where the presence of Fourth Pillar Realm protectors had deterred many demons. But here, outside the boundaries of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, even if Fourth Pillar experts accompanied him in secret, the demons wouldn’t squander such an opportunity.
As the bird processed its thoughts, a whistle’s call reached its ears.
It froze momentarily, then focused intently on the message. Moments later, its expression changed drastically.
“The youth is still pressing forward!”
“This is madness! Does he intend to provoke every demon in the region to attack him at once?”
The crow glanced at Master Ming’s body one last time. Taking a deep breath, it pecked apart the remaining viscera, obliterating the final traces of intelligence.
“This human has crossed Tianji Hall, too.”
While the Tianji Hall never fought directly, they excelled at turning others into weapons.
With a sharp cry, the crow flew out of the fire cavern and vanished into the sky.
...
As Li Hao continued his journey, carving through mountains and rivers, he relentlessly hunted demons along the way. The news of his exploits spread swiftly through the Tianji Hall's network.
Birds scattered in all directions, landing atop mountain peaks to deliver their warnings.
“Hmm? What’s this little bird demon doing here? Courting death?”
On one such peak, a dozing demon cracked open an eye, ready to crush the intruder with a swipe of its claw.
Before it could act, the bird spoke hurriedly.
“I am a messenger from Tianji Hall. Black Cloud Lord, you must leave this place at once. A human is approaching to hunt demons.”
“Tianji Hall?”
The demon paused, retracting its claw, then chuckled. “What human would dare come here? Are they offering themselves as a meal?”
“It’s the genius of the Li family—the destined True Dragon, Li Hao!”
The bird spoke anxiously. “He has already slain five great demons in the Three Immortals Realm, including the illustrious Three-Faced Snake Demon. Black Cloud Lord, you should flee while you still can.”
The Black Cloud Lord froze at the mention of the Li family, its expression changing.
“The Li family? That cursed Divine General Mansion of the Li family?”
“He even killed the Three-Faced Snake Demon?”
Shock rippled through the demon’s heart. The Three-Faced Snake Demon was well-known within a thousand-mile radius, and to hear of its death unsettled even the Black Cloud Lord.
“The human is closing in. Black Cloud Lord, you must leave now!”
The bird's urgency brought the Black Cloud Lord back to its senses. Without hesitation, it gathered its treasures from the cavern and fled into the distance.
Before departing, it spoke to the bird. “I, the Black Cloud Lord, owe the Tianji Hall a favor. I’ll remember this.”
“I must warn the others now. Farewell.”
With that, the bird took flight again, heading to deliver its message elsewhere.
Similar events unfolded across the region.
Countless Tianji Hall messengers spread the news of Li Hao’s relentless demon-slaying campaign. Some demons chose to flee, while others in the Undying Realm stayed behind, eager to test their strength against the human youth.
Those who stayed... met their demise.
As the Dragon Sky Sword drank more and more blood, Li Hao’s reputation grew ever greater. He pushed forward through three thousand miles without a single enemy able to stop him.