Volume 2 - Chapter 67: Li Tiangang's Request for Aid
Li Xuanli was in shock. The sight of Li Hao's battle flags intimidating the horde of demons surpassed his imagination, leaving him utterly baffled.
Beside him, Li Qingling and Li Xueyun were similarly stunned, their faces filled with doubt. "Even the imperial battle flags don't exude such dominance, do they?" they wondered.
The name being called out—was it truly their grandnephew?
“Kill!”
“If that boy doesn’t show himself, kill everyone else to force him out!”
The five Demon Kings grew enraged as Li Hao continued to stay out of sight. Leading the charge, the Abyssal Dragon Demon King lunged at the Daoist Ganji, while the Giant Spider Demon King unleashed a barrage of webbed blades at Li Xuanli and the others.
Li Xuanli and his companions’ expressions changed drastically, tension gripping them. Although the battle flags had momentarily intimidated the Demon Kings, it was merely fear. Without Li Hao and the Fourth Realm cultivator by his side, their situation seemed hopeless.
“Be careful!”
Li Hongzhuang, her gaze stern, warned in a low voice, “Focus on protecting yourselves!”
She then swiftly drew several battle flags from her back and hurled one with great force.
“Watch out!”
Bai Shenjun, observing the flying flag, called out urgently.
The Giant Spider Demon King reacted a moment too late. Just as he tried to dodge, the battle flag, guided by Li Hongzhuang’s object manipulation technique, pursued him relentlessly.
...
The Giant Spider Demon King retreated repeatedly, his face a mix of shame and rage. For a mighty Demon King like him to be forced to evade a mere battle flag—it was a disgrace!
He spat a webbed blade into the air, slicing the flag in two.
The flag was torn apart, but the energy mark sealed within it burst forth.
With a loud clang, a golden-red sword aura shot skyward, striking ferociously toward the Giant Spider Demon King.
The sword aura roared like a tidal wave, sweeping across the heavens as it descended upon him.
“Damn it!”
The Giant Spider Demon King’s pupils contracted in shock. Though he knew the battle flag contained a sword array, he had never experienced its might firsthand. To his astonishment, the array’s power was overwhelming!
He rapidly unleashed webs of sword-like silk, roaring, “Ten Thousand Swords to Exterminate the Heavens!”
Snow-white threads formed a sword array that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart, firing thousands of dazzling streaks of light to intercept the attack.
Yet, the golden-red sword aura, like an indomitable fortress, swept through the myriad threads, shattering the array before slashing into the Giant Spider Demon King.
Pfft!
Two of his legs were severed, and demonic blood sprayed into the air.
Though the aura’s power diminished, it continued its path toward his head. Bai Shenjun intervened, slicing the aura apart with his sword.
The vibration of the sword made Bai Shenjun’s heart tremble. Just a single sword array carried such destructive force—no wonder a single battle flag could annihilate three cultivators at the Three Immortals Realm!
Not far away, the demonic forces in the horde were equally horrified. Seeing the carnage, those at the Three Immortals Realm inwardly celebrated their earlier restraint, for stepping forward would have led to disaster.
“Retreat!”
Li Hongzhuang transmitted a command while hurling two more battle flags in quick succession.
The battle flags streaked through the air toward the Giant Spider Demon King. A grotesque insect-like Demon King immediately stepped forward to shield him but dared not destroy the flags outright.
Li Hongzhuang activated the object manipulation technique, tearing the flags apart mid-air. The energy within erupted, releasing two more sword auras.
“Damn it!”
The grotesque insect Demon King, enraged, spat out a spinning blade of blood, forming a vast sea of crimson to block the attack.
Seizing the moment, Li Hongzhuang grabbed Li Xuanli and the two elder women, rapidly retreating toward the defensive array.
Daoist Ganji, catching his breath, steadied his mind. He recognized that the sword auras within the battle flags were on par with a full-strength attack from a Dao Heart Realm cultivator. With so many flags still in Li Hongzhuang’s possession, they were an invaluable weapon.
Even against five Demon Kings, they could hold their ground for a time.
“Do not let them escape!”
The Demon Kings attacked in unison, filling the sky with demonic energy and dust, blocking their path. The ground cracked open, and claws like those of a mud dragon surged upward to strike at them.
Boom!
Daoist Ganji wielded his nine-section whip, piercing the muddy claws. Despite his injuries, he pushed through, guiding Li Hongzhuang and the others out of the encirclement.
Seeing the Demon Kings giving chase, Li Hongzhuang threw several more battle flags, ripping them apart mid-flight. The explosive sword aura shattered her spiritual consciousness, but it bought them precious moments.
The sword auras surged forth indiscriminately, forcing the Demon Kings back. The scattered auras fragmented into countless sword shadows, enveloping their foes.
“Stay here!”
The Giant Spider Demon King, unwilling to let them escape, unleashed a massive web to immobilize the air ahead of them, intending to trap them.
But as his body was struck by countless sword shadows, a sudden alarm gripped his heart.
Though these attacks were not lethal, one particular sword aura pierced his body, seeping inward.
The Giant Spider Demon King, having just immobilized the air with his webbing to trap Li Hongzhuang and her group, suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of dread surge from the depths of his heart.
His pupils shrank as he let out an enraged roar, attempting to repel the remaining sword shadows, but it was too late.
The strength within him drained rapidly, as though his essence and soul were being siphoned away. His vitality dwindled at an alarming rate.
“What’s happening…?”
The Giant Spider Demon King’s expression turned to one of terror. His countless spider eyes darted around, scanning his body. Although he had endured numerous sword shadow strikes, the injuries were superficial. The only significant damage had been the earlier severing of two legs.
Yet his consciousness began to blur.
With a thud, his massive body fell heavily to the ground, accompanied by the sound of his life force extinguishing entirely. His soul had vanished into nothingness.
As a mere Dao Heart Realm cultivator, he had no second chance at life.
This bizarre scene made the pursuing Demon Kings pause in their tracks, their expressions filled with fear as they turned their gaze toward their fallen comrade.
If not for sensing the complete disappearance of the Giant Spider Demon King’s life force, they might have assumed he had merely fallen asleep.
“How could this happen?”
“He’s dead?”
“He wasn’t even seriously injured—how could he die?”
The remaining Demon Kings were overcome with trepidation and dread.
Bai Shenjun, his pupils constricting, recalled the moment when he had narrowly escaped death by sacrificing his Reverse Fate Power. That eerie sensation of death looming had been unmistakable.
As his eyes landed on the sea of sword shadows still lingering in the air, a sudden realization struck him. He roared, “Under no circumstances should your physical bodies touch these sword shadows!”
“If you come into contact with them, you may die!”
His warning left the other three Demon Kings stunned.
These sword shadows didn’t seem particularly powerful—could they be hiding a deadly secret or venom?
Despite their confusion, the sight of the Giant Spider Demon King’s inexplicable death filled them with fear. Choosing caution, they focused all their efforts on using demonic spells and weapons to shield themselves from the sword shadows.
For now, ensuring their survival was paramount.
The death of the Giant Spider Demon King delayed the pursuit. Meanwhile, on the city walls, the Liang Province Commander spotted Li Hongzhuang and her group rushing toward the defensive array. He shouted for the nearby generals to retrieve the formation tokens.
With the tokens in hand, the commander charged out of the array and handed them over, helping bring Li Hongzhuang and the others into safety.
Once within the array, Li Hongzhuang, Li Xuanli, and the rest finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Looking back, Li Xuanli saw his army attempting to retreat toward the array. However, in their fury, the Demon Kings unleashed devastating attacks on the Xuanzi Army. Their immense strikes descended like mountains, crushing soldiers and steeds alike. In the blink of an eye, countless lives were lost.
Li Xuanli’s eyes reddened, and his fists clenched tightly.
“Father!”
Li Wushuang ran toward him, tears streaking her face.
Li Xuanli glanced at her, noting that she was unharmed. However, his expression held no joy—only numbness and sorrow as he watched the Xuanzi Army fall.
Li Hongzhuang also saw the slaughter. Stepping forward to the edge of the city wall, she threw three more battle flags into the fray, trying to shield the Xuanzi Army.
But the Demon Kings had grown more cunning. As soon as they saw the flags, they charged directly into the ranks of the Xuanzi Army, seemingly testing whether the sword arrays within the flags could differentiate between demons and humans.
Li Hongzhuang’s heart sank as she realized their strategy. She hesitated to activate the sword arrays, fearing they would harm her own forces.
...
The Demon Kings, seeing this hesitation, smirked coldly. Exploiting the sword arrays’ limitations, they rampaged through the Xuanzi Army, their attacks merciless.
The battlefield echoed with anguished screams. Outside the city, it became a one-sided massacre.
On the city wall, the defenders could only watch helplessly, unable to assist. Attacking from a distance was too risky; their strikes would hardly faze the Demon Kings but might harm their own troops.
The Xuanzi Army’s numbers dwindled rapidly. With fewer soldiers remaining, the slaughter only intensified. In mere moments, the battlefield was littered with corpses.
...
Despite their valiant resistance and the burning of their souls for strength, the soldiers were no match for the four Demon Kings. They couldn’t even keep up with their movements.
The sight of rivers of blood and the field of death left the defenders on the city wall clutching their weapons in grief and shame.
After venting their fury on the Xuanzi Army, the four Demon Kings finally turned their attention back to the city. Enraged, Li Hongzhuang detonated three more battle flags.
Three sword auras surged forth, pursuing the Demon Kings.
The Demon Kings’ faces changed as they hastily retreated. The sword auras shattered their demonic spells with overwhelming force, wounding two of them and driving them back.
Bai Shenjun found himself locked onto by one of the sword auras. Overwhelmed by fear, he fled with all his might, unwilling to face the devastating energy head-on.
As he fled, humiliation burned in his chest. A mighty Demon King, reduced to fleeing from a mere sword array created by a child—it was unbearable.
“Damn it!”
The remaining three Demon Kings glared at Li Hongzhuang, who stood resolutely on the city wall, her back adorned with dozens of unactivated battle flags. Their expressions grew grim.
The terrifying power of these battle flags was undeniable. With another twenty or thirty remaining, no one could withstand such an assault.
“If she detonates them all at once, we’ll be wiped out like the Giant Spider Demon King,” one of them muttered.
“What do we do?”
“Send a message to the Grand Elder. Only he can resolve this.”
The Demon Kings exchanged glances, choosing to summon reinforcements from Tianji Hall. Meanwhile, they held their positions, surrounding the city.
Although the Demon Kings refrained from attacking the defensive array, the defenders remained on high alert. Their grief over the massacre was tempered by the temporary reprieve.
The demon horde and the Demon Kings lingered ten miles outside the city, their standoff with the defenders fraught with tension.
Liang Province Commander approached Li Hongzhuang, his tone filled with gratitude. “General Hongzhuang, it’s fortunate you arrived in time.”
Li Hongzhuang nodded slightly, her heart still racing. Had it not been for the battle flags gifted by Li Hao, even ten of her would have been powerless against five Demon Kings.
As her thoughts drifted to Li Hao, worry crept into her heart. What was happening at Tianmen Pass after her departure?
But then, her gaze fell on the many battle flags still in her possession, and she felt a measure of reassurance.
“Whose battle flags are these?” Li Qingling asked curiously, her eyes on her niece.
Li Hongzhuang addressed her aunt respectfully, saying, “These are Hao’er’s battle flags, the son of Tiangang.”
“Is this the same Hao’er who surpassed Xiao Jiu in talent? Has his reputation grown so immense already?”
Li Qingling and Li Xueyun were astonished. Though they had suspected as much, hearing Li Hongzhuang confirm it left them stunned.
Li Hao’s fame had spread across the land, and as a member of the Li family, they had taken note even from faraway lands.
That boy was only fifteen years old, wasn’t he?
“Indeed, he is the Haotian Major General,” thought the Liang Province Commander.
Not long ago, he had doubted the wisdom of entrusting Tianmen Pass to a mere teenager, accusing the Li family of disregarding the lives of Liang Province’s citizens. Yet now, he owed his survival to that very youth.
Li Wushuang listened to the conversation, her expression filled with confusion. She had worked so hard, but why did the gap between her and her cousin only seem to grow wider?
The last time they were close, wasn’t it that duel beneath the tree…?
“Tiangang truly has an extraordinary son!”
Li Qingling gazed at the battle flags on Li Hongzhuang’s back, sighing with admiration. “These demons clearly recognize the destructive power of these flags. Compared to Xiao Jiu, Tiangang’s son is far more renowned.”
“Indeed,” Li Xueyun agreed with approval.
A decade ago, the death of Li Junye had been a source of grief for the entire Li family. Yet now, a mere boy had mended that wound, shining brighter than ever before.
“Report!”
Suddenly, a scout rushed in, stopping before the Liang Province Commander. “A distress signal was spotted to the east!”
“To the east?”
Li Xuanli, who had been staring blankly at the battlefield, snapped his head around. He rose to his feet, his injuries slightly healed thanks to medicinal aids and his innate recovery.
“The eastern region is guarded by the Marquis Xingwu. If we encountered five Demon Kings here, they must be facing similar threats,” the commander remarked grimly.
Li Xuanli’s expression darkened. If there were five Demon Kings here, the eastern front might have just as many, if not more.
“Is it my seventh brother calling for aid?” Li Hongzhuang asked, her face tensing.
“I’ll go to assist!”
“So will I,” Li Qingling said immediately. “I still have the strength to fight.”
“And me,” Li Xueyun added. “I haven’t yet used my Undying Force.”
Li Hongzhuang shook her head firmly. “If the Demon Kings pursue, your presence will make no difference. With Hao’er’s battle flags, I can still intimidate them.”
Without further delay, she requested two formation tokens and soared into the air.