Volume 2 - Chapter 45: Facing All Sides - Part 2
Beyond the Pass, stretching three thousand miles...
A dragon bird with dazzling seven-colored plumage fled frantically, darting swiftly through the mountain peaks. Feathers from its wings fluttered and scattered, shimmering faintly in the air.
Behind it, a streak of golden divine light streaked through the skies, accelerating abruptly to slash at the bird’s wing.
The dragon bird let out a furious roar. A gust of wind thundered from its wings, and bolts of lightning rained down like a torrential storm, aiming at its pursuer.
However, the golden light curved sharply in an arc like a crescent moon, bypassing the storm. Its razor-sharp edge traced a line of fresh blood as it sliced the bird’s flank open, nearly spilling its internal organs.
The dragon bird shrieked in pain, its eyes filled with fear as it cried out, “I have no quarrel with you! Why must you push me to the brink of death?”
Li Hao’s figure appeared silently from another direction. He raised his fist, and a surging wave of power seemed to lock down the surrounding space, compressing the air and pinning the dragon bird in place.
The dragon bird let out a sorrowful cry as it crashed into a mountain peak, gouging out a massive crater and sending rocks tumbling into the valley below.
The golden divine light followed swiftly, plunging into the dust and piercing through the head of the still-struggling dragon bird.
“You...”
The dragon bird’s eyes widened with indignation and despair as it glared at the young man approaching it. But it could no longer muster the strength to rise.
The Longxiao Sword returned to its sheath. Li Hao glanced at the dragon bird whose soul had dissipated, shook his head slightly, and released a strand of hidden line to wrap around the bird’s lifeless body, dragging it along.
Farther away, additional hidden lines gathered shadows like kite strings, retrieving the corpses of demons slain along his path.
Li Hao soared into the sky, the corpses trailing behind him like a macabre parade. It was a spectacle to behold.
As he pushed forward three thousand miles, killing from the west to the east, Li Hao found himself disappointed. He had yet to encounter a true demon king. At best, he had faced only those at the Undying Stage.
“Could it be that the demons Beyond the Pass consist of just those three?”
Li Hao’s frustration was evident.
So far, he had only been warming up.
Continuing onward, Li Hao flew over several mountain peaks, his divine soul extending to probe his surroundings.
He discovered several demon caves hidden in the mountains, but all of them were deserted.
It wasn’t the first time he had encountered such a situation. Li Hao frowned, scanning his surroundings. Earlier, he had occasionally spotted small demon birds, but they were casually crushed by him. Now, even those were nowhere to be seen.
“It’s as if these demons knew I was coming and fled in advance.”
“Could it be the demons from Tianji Hall passing along messages?”
Li Hao sighed inwardly. Though he had practically delivered himself to their doorstep, these demons had simply run away. Truly, they lacked any sense of decency.
After flying for a while longer and visiting several more empty mountain peaks, Li Hao began to feel a hint of boredom. He sat down atop a large mountain, depositing the demon corpses entangled in hidden lines by the mountain’s edge.
“Feng Lao, some wine!”
Li Hao called out.
A wine gourd flew out of the void, though Feng Lao’s figure remained unseen.
“Drink less. This wine is strong.”
“The stronger, the better.”
Li Hao chuckled, popping the wooden cork and taking two swigs.
Nearby, a few wild birds flew in and landed on the ground, pecking at fallen mountain fruits.
These birds were not demons but ordinary animals.
Li Hao glanced at them indifferently and took another sip of wine. Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the birds.
The small birds foraged on the ground, searching for dropped fruits and crawling insects.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow slightly. With a series of sharp cracking sounds, the birds' bodies burst apart, obliterated by his object manipulation powers.
He released hidden lines, spreading them out and weaving them into a net.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he resumed drinking his wine.
...
Some dozens of miles away, a demon that had disguised itself as one of the small birds suddenly groaned in pain. Blood seeped from its eyes, and it buried its head under its wing in panic, trying to remain unnoticed.
After stabilizing its injuries, the bird demon quelled its fear and took to the skies.
“Did he notice even that? I was only borrowing the vision of those little birds with my Divine Eye Technique.”
It felt exposed and uneasy, its heart pounding with dread. Unwilling to linger, it hastily tried to escape.
However, as it flew, it accidentally touched something akin to a taut string.
Before it could react, the hidden line constricted abruptly, snaring its body tightly and dragging it away at breakneck speed.
“What is this?!”
The bird demon struggled desperately, but the hidden line was deeply embedded, cutting into its bones.
Its frantic eyes beheld itself being hauled toward the mountain where the young man stood. Terror overwhelmed it, and it let out an enraged roar.
Thud.
The bird demon’s lifeless body tumbled to Li Hao’s feet, its spirit gone. It had chosen to end its life rather than fall into his hands.
Li Hao raised an eyebrow. “Just like that black bird earlier. The bird demons from Tianji Hall are surprisingly well-trained—willing to die rather than risk interrogation.”
“With Tianji Hall’s interference, large-scale demon hunting is turning out to be more troublesome than expected.”
Li Hao muttered to himself.
He retracted the hidden line and struck the bird demon’s corpse with a palm, reducing it to pulp. Handing the wine gourd back to Feng Lao, he stood and took off into the skies.
Let’s see how many demons Tianji Hall’s bird demons can actually deter.
Li Hao flew eastward. Passing over a valley shrouded in miasma and toxic fog, he detected an empty hall within the mist. Without hesitation, he struck it with his palm, shattering the structure.
Along the way, he continued to destroy any demon caves or training grounds he encountered, leaving behind only ruins and debris.
...
While Li Hao rampaged through the region, several figures sped across the skies at the border of Liangzhou, a thousand miles away.
The powerful demonic auras emanating from these figures stirred the air. Leading them was a middle-aged man in white robes. Handsome and sharp-eyed, his gaze carried an intimidating brilliance.
The four figures accompanying him, each bearing demonic energy, glanced at him in awe and quickly saluted.
“Feng Shanjun!”
The man in white robes, known as Feng Shanjun, cast a brief look at the four and said in a cold voice, “You have grudges against the Li family as well?”
“That’s correct.”
The four nodded quickly, their expressions tinged with apprehension. After all, they were in the presence of a demon king.
At that moment, two bird figures flew over from the distance. The leading bird, a vibrant red, descended and transformed into a young woman in a red dress.
“Feng Shanjun!”
The red-dressed woman greeted him respectfully before nodding slightly to the others. “Please wait here. Bai Shenjun is on his way as well.”
“Bai Shenjun?”
Feng Shanjun frowned. He hadn’t expected that individual to come, though it made sense—Bai Shenjun had harbored a long-standing enmity with the Li family in Yanbei, spanning over a decade. This rare opportunity must have drawn him out.
“When will he arrive? If he’s too slow, I won’t bother waiting,” Feng Shanjun said.
The red-dressed woman was about to reply when her gaze shifted suddenly toward the horizon, as if she had sensed something. She raised her head and looked into the distance.
Several figures were approaching swiftly. At their forefront was a young man dressed in white as pure as snow, his hands clasped behind his back. His flight was unhurried and graceful, exuding a calm demeanor.
Behind him followed several grotesque figures, varying greatly in size and appearance.
Feng Shanjun also noticed the newcomers. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he observed them.
“He’s here.”
The red-dressed woman smiled faintly and greeted the white-clad man as he arrived. “Greetings, Bai Shenjun.”
The young man in white glanced at Feng Shanjun and smiled. “So, you’re here as well.”
Feng Shanjun nodded slightly but kept his gaze cold. The two belonged to opposing factions—Bai Shenjun from the Sacred Palace, while Feng Shanjun represented a different power entirely.
“I’ve come here for personal reasons,” Bai Shenjun said with a faint smile. “Since we all share enmity toward the Li family, we’re allies for the time being.”
Feng Shanjun’s gaze flickered briefly before he replied, “Fine.”
Bai Shenjun smiled and added, “Let’s go. I’m curious to see what cards the Li family’s brat has up his sleeve.”
The red-dressed woman turned to a purple-feathered bird beside her. “Ziyu, guide the way for the two lords.”
The bird nodded and began leading the group toward their destination.
Watching them leave, the red-dressed woman flew off in another direction, murmuring, “The Li family seems to have no shortage of enemies.”
...
Li Hao stomped on the entrance of a mountain cave, causing it to collapse. Just as he was about to move on, Feng Lao’s voice echoed in his mind.
“Xiao Haozi, a demon king is approaching.”
Li Hao’s eyes brightened, and he surveyed his surroundings as his divine soul expanded outward. Hidden lines unfurled, stretching in every direction.
Soon, his divine soul detected several figures speeding toward him in the distance.
Two of them radiated an overwhelming demonic aura, leaving trails of dark clouds above their heads. The oppressive power exuded by their auras was reminiscent of dragon and phoenix cries, instilling a sense of dread.
Li Hao narrowed his eyes. Two demon kings at once? They were clearly prepared.
He cast the collected demon corpses onto a distant mountain to avoid any interference in the upcoming battle.
Then, he began to warm up, his blood and qi surging and trembling as he prepared his body for combat.
“There, ahead,” the purple-feathered bird gestured with its wing, stopping in midair.
The accompanying demons didn’t seem to mind and continued onward. They had already spotted the young figure standing calmly in the distance.
What amused them was that, instead of fleeing, the young man seemed to be waiting for them to arrive.
“So, he’s confident there’s someone of the Fourth Pillar Realm protecting him in the shadows,” Bai Shenjun remarked, his eyes narrowing as he sensed a hidden presence.
“You deal with that Fourth Pillar master. I’ll take care of the brat!” Feng Shanjun said, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Bai Shenjun’s expression shifted slightly, and after a moment, he nodded. “Alright.”
Relieved by Bai Shenjun’s compliance, Feng Shanjun stepped forward, his overwhelming hatred for the Li family boiling to the surface.
“Attack!”
He gestured, though he didn’t charge in first.
The stillness of the young man unnerved him. Despite being a demon king confident in his strength, years of caution had taught him to observe before acting rashly.
Meanwhile, the demons accompanying him hesitated as well.
They had seen the pile of demon corpses thrown onto the distant mountain. Those corpses belonged to demons at the Three Immortals Realm, all slain by this youth and dragged along as though they were mere kites.
Tianji Hall’s intelligence had warned them that the youth had slain numerous Three Immortals demons. Facing him alone would likely end in their deaths.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you here for revenge? Afraid now?” Feng Shanjun sneered, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint.
The demons sighed inwardly. Reluctantly, they decided to act together, relying on their numbers for support.
“Let’s go. Attack all at once!”
The Three Immortals demons swiftly coordinated and charged at Li Hao, revealing their true forms. Enormous bodies filled the sky, and their demonic energy surged like a tidal wave.
Li Hao stood motionless. It wasn’t until the massive demons closed to within several hundred meters that he suddenly struck.
From within his body, a surge of celestial energy erupted, summoning the power of the heavens and suppressing the battlefield.
With a resounding clang, the Longxiao Sword leapt from its sheath, its golden brilliance flooding the sky.
“Kill!”
A demon resembling a giant tortoise led the charge. Confident in its thick hide and powerful defenses, it roared as it barreled toward Li Hao, intending to absorb the brunt of his attack to give its comrades an opening.
The Longxiao Sword descended in a violent slash. When it struck the demon’s indestructible body, it left only a minor nick.
Li Hao’s eyes narrowed as the sword flared with golden radiance. A dragon’s roar echoed through the air as a true dragon materialized around the blade.
Roar!
The Longxiao Sword struck again, this time shattering the tortoise’s defensive barrier and cleaving a massive wound across its neck.
Meanwhile, the other demons closed in, howling as they launched their attacks.
With a sharp whistle, an enormous ape-like demon fired a massive frost-coated arrow from its oversized demon bow. The arrow streaked through the air, radiating a cold silver light.
Simultaneously, a dragon-mouse hybrid, its body covered in dragon scales, leapt toward Li Hao. Opening its maw, it spewed forth a cloud of black demonic fog, seeking to corrode and devour him.
Li Hao remained cold and unflinching. He raised his hand and slammed it downward.
The overwhelming power gathered from heaven and earth crashed down like a mountain.
The frost arrow veered off course, striking the dragon-mouse hybrid instead.
The black fog unleashed by the dragon-mouse was dispersed with a single swipe of Li Hao’s palm.