Volume 2 - Chapter 68: Known by All Demons
Watching Li Hongzhuang's departing figure, Li Xuanli, Li Qingling, and the others all wore expressions of concern.
As long as the Demon Kings didn’t show themselves, they could still be considered top-tier combatants, capable of influencing the battlefield.
But if the Demon Kings appeared, they would have to hide and avoid confrontation unless protected by experts at the Fourth Pillar Realm. Only then could they continue to engage in the fight.
However, experts at the Fourth Pillar Realm were scarce. If there were more of them, the demons wouldn't have dared launch such a large-scale invasion of Liangzhou.
Even if reinforcements from the Fourth Pillar Realm arrived, it would take time. For now, their only reliance lay in the battle flags Li Hongzhuang carried.
...
Liangzhou, Eastern Side
On a vast plain, smoke signals rose into the sky, visible from miles away.
Tens of thousands of soldiers from the Yuan Battalion, along with hundreds of thousands of Liangzhou border troops, retreated while covering one another.
Behind them, the demonic horde had not arrived. Pursuing this massive army of hundreds of thousands were merely six Demon Kings.
The whereabouts of the other Demon Kings and the sinister Yin Lady remained unknown, likely because she was being held back by the Desert Sword Saint. Otherwise, had she pursued them, they would never have made it this far.
“Hold on! The second defensive line is just ahead!”
Li Tiangang, his body covered in blood, had once again restored his Undying Force midway through the battle and launched another desperate attack. His full power had temporarily slowed the pace of several Demon Kings, buying precious time for the army’s retreat.
But now, his injuries were slowly healing, though the repeated trauma to his battle body had significantly slowed the recovery process.
Despite smearing medicinal powder over himself and swallowing numerous treasured healing pills, the effects weren’t immediate. It would take at least one or two hours for the medicine to be fully absorbed and converted.
“Follow me to block the demons!”
A general roared in his ear.
Turning, Li Tiangang saw yet another ten-thousand-strong Yuan Battalion slowing their pace, staying behind to hold off the Demon Kings.
This was already a common scene along their retreat.
His face turned grim, but he was powerless to stop it.
Even thou
Alone.
His face darkened, and he roared, “Hongzhuang, don’t come any closer!!”
“It’s too late!”
As his voice echoed, six murderous demonic auras surged behind Li Tiangang.
One of them, the elder vine demon, raised its hand in anger. Countless vine whips, crackling like thunderbolts, lashed out, aiming to capture Li Tiangang and redeem the previous failure.
Li Tiangang roared, his aura surging as he drew his divine blade and struck.
But at the same time, the other five Demon Kings attacked in unison. With a deafening boom, Li Tiangang was sent flying. His body crashed into the ground, creating a deep pit before sliding hundreds of meters to a stop.
The six Demon Kings moved like lightning, closing in on him. Just then, a piercing sound came from dozens of miles away.
Whoosh!
A battle flag soared through the air, arriving before the Demon Kings and exploding with a burst of light.
Li Hongzhuang had destroyed the battle flag herself, unleashing the sword array sealed within.
A radiant beam of sword light swept across the Demon Kings, forcing them to retreat briefly before the light dissipated.
Seizing this brief moment, a second and third battle flag flew in succession, landing before Li Tiangang and forming a protective barrier.
Struggling to his feet, Li Tiangang prepared to unleash his battle body for a desperate stand when he saw the sudden change in events.
He froze in surprise and hadn’t yet processed what was happening when Li Hongzhuang’s figure appeared beside him.
“Seventh Brother, are you all right?”
She quickly positioned herself between him and the Demon Kings, her expression tense. Although she carried several battle flags on her back, her confidence wavered.
She had thought Fifth Brother’s situation was dire, but it seemed Seventh Brother’s was even worse.
“What are you doing here? Leave now!”
Li Tiangang barked in anger.
“We leave together!” Li Hongzhuang responded without hesitation.
“If we do that, no one will make it out alive!”
Li Tiangang’s fury rose. He understood her intentions, but there was no time for sentimentality in such a critical moment.
“It’s fine! With Hao’er’s battle flags protecting us, we can escape!”
Li Hongzhuang spoke quickly.
Li Tiangang blinked in disbelief. For a moment, his furious expression faltered as he asked, “What did you just say?”
Looking around, his eyes fell on the battle flag standing before him. Fully unfurled, it bore the characters “Haotian” written boldly across its surface.
It was the “Hao” from Li Hao!
“He came too?” Li Tiangang’s voice softened with surprise as he began scanning his surroundings.
Li Hongzhuang transmitted her voice to him, “Hao’er is holding the line at Tianmen Pass. He only sent me with his battle flags to reinforce you.”
“What use are his battle flags...”
Hearing that Li Hao was stationed at Tianmen Pass, Li Tiangang’s anger flared again. With the current state of the battle, they should have rapidly consolidated their defenses. Holding Tianmen Pass would only give the demons an opportunity to bypass it and invade the region from the sides.
If Liangzhou fell, what use would Tianmen Pass have?
Although furious, he couldn’t deny Li Hao’s inexperience. Despite his exceptional talent, he lacked the strategic acumen for warfare. However, the Fourth Pillar expert at Li Hao’s side should have known better!
Before Li Hongzhuang could explain the battle flags’ significance, the six Demon Kings stopped their advance. The sword array unleashed by the earlier battle flag had given them pause, their expressions now wary.
Noticing this, Li Hongzhuang realized that even these Demon Kings likely recognized Li Hao’s reputation.
What exactly had that child done to make these formidable Demon Kings so cautious?
Although curiosity nagged at her, she couldn’t afford to dwell on it now. She seized the opportunity to speak urgently to Li Tiangang.
“Let’s go!”
Without waiting for his reply, she turned and began retreating. Li Tiangang gritted his teeth. At this point, he had no choice but to retreat while engaging in a fighting withdrawal.
As the six Demon Kings resumed their pursuit, Li Hongzhuang detonated two battle flags on the ground, releasing another burst of sword qi that surged toward the Demon Kings.
Seeing this, Li Tiangang began to piece things together. The sword qi from the earlier flag hadn’t come from Li Hongzhuang herself but seemed to be a hidden power contained within the battle flags.
“What is this?” Li Tiangang asked hastily.
“It’s a sword array,” Li Hongzhuang explained quickly. “Hao’er’s battle flags are imbued with these arrays, equivalent to attacks from the Dao Heart Realm.”
Li Tiangang was stunned. The battle flags were actually embedded with sword arrays?
Given his understanding of Si Tianjian’s capabilities, it seemed nearly impossible. The flags were far too small to hold formations of such power, and even if they could, achieving Dao Heart Realm-level strength was unheard of.
Could this be a secret technique of Si Tianjian?
Doubts swirled in his mind. If it was such a closely guarded secret, why was it entrusted to Li Hao’s battle flags?
He had fought in Yanbei for over a decade and had never received support like this from Si Tianjian.
Perhaps the technique hadn’t been developed back then?
A thought crossed his mind. Emperor Yu had shown great favor toward Li Hao, recognizing him as the Li family’s next True Dragon. He had even bestowed upon him the legendary sword considered the greatest under heaven and conferred military titles upon him.
It must be that His Majesty values Li Hao’s talents... Li Tiangang mused silently.
With the emperor’s favor, Li Hao could likely hold Tianmen Pass without issue. These powerful battle flags were more than enough to secure the position.
Clearly, the child was more favored than he had imagined.
Li Tiangang sighed inwardly. After this battle, if there was still a chance, he would go to Tianmen Pass to speak with him.
Since Li Hao was so greatly cherished, as long as the boy refrained from any reckless behavior, Li Tiangang decided he would no longer intervene in his affairs.
...