Volume 2 - Chapter 69: Heaven and Earth Veins, Immortal Transformation Bowl - Part 1
"Don't run!!"
The six Demon Kings were furious when they saw Li Tiangang trying to flee. If Li Tiangang escaped, they would have no way to answer to the Yin Lady.
Roar!
They no longer bothered to toy with their prey. Each unleashed their true strength, revealing their ferocious ten-thousand-year-old true forms. Like six monstrous beings emerging from the depths of the abyss, they radiated an overwhelming and terrifying aura.
Boom!
The military banner exploded, and sword qi burst forth. The Vine Demon Elder roared as he charged, summoning thousands of vines that converged into a massive vine spear hundreds of meters long. It pierced through the void, heading straight for the sword qi.
The void trembled, and the sword qi shattered. The sword array, which was comparable to a full-strength attack from someone at the Dao Heart Realm, ultimately could not withstand the full-force eruption of the Reverse Fate Realm Vine Demon Elder.
Among the six Demon Kings, besides the Vine Demon Elder, one other was also at the Reverse Fate Realm. This one also unleashed their full power, slapping out a single claw that shattered another sword qi.
Li Hongzhuang's expression changed dramatically. She swiftly drew the battle banners from her back and hurled them out one after another.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The banners exploded, unleashing sword arrays that filled the sky. Golden-red sword qi swept across the battlefield, tearing apart the demonic aura and surging toward the six Demon Kings.
Although the two Reverse Fate Realm Demon Kings were unfazed, the remaining four hesitated. This sword qi, being an all-out attack of the same realm, could still injure them even if they defended with all their might.
Li Tiangang was shaken as he watched the golden-red sword qi. The strength of this sword array far exceeded his expectations!
The Emperor truly showed favor. Li Hongzhuang had brought an entire bundle of such powerful battle banners. If these could be mass-produced or handed over to him, the border of Liang Province might never fall!
He sighed inwardly, puzzled. In his impression, the Emperor was both wise and mighty.
"Stop them!"
The Vine Demon Elder, seeing that Li Tiangang and Li Hongzhuang were flying farther and farther away, was furious. Ignoring the sword arrays unleashed by the banners, he pursued at full speed.
Swish!
Li Hongzhuang threw out two more banners, detonating them mid-air.
The Vine Demon Elder swung his vine spear, slicing through the sword qi and roaring as he navigated through the barrage to chase after her.
Although his movements slowed slightly, he paired them with continuous short-range teleportation, rapidly closing the distance.
However, his teleportation covered only limited distances, and the shattered sword qi transformed into a tide of swords that closely followed him.
Li Hongzhuang continued to throw banners.
Sword arrays erupted, forcing the Vine Demon Elder to continuously destroy them. Before long, he was engulfed by the storm of fragmented sword qi.
With an enraged roar, he unleashed a pitch-black withered vine. The vine, infused with dark lightning and fire, swept away a massive portion of the sword qi.
Yet, tiny fragments of sword qi still struck from all directions. Though their damage was minimal, they hit him like a relentless downpour.
Initially, the Vine Demon Elder paid them no mind. Suddenly, his body shuddered violently, an intense premonition of death overtaking him.
"What is this..."
His pupils contracted in terror.
He realized his life force was rapidly draining away. His power was vanishing at an alarming rate, and even his soul was trapped within his body, unable to escape.
He tried to muster his strength but failed.
It felt as though an unseen maw of death was devouring his very being.
"No!!"
The Vine Demon Elder cried out in horror, abruptly activating a Reverse Fate Opportunity.
A blackened vine, imbued with dark lightning, shot out from the top of his head—his original form.
A thousand years ago, he had been a withered vine struck by lightning during a clash of powerful beings. The charred vine sprouted new buds, gradually growing in intelligence, eventually becoming the Vine Demon Elder.
Now, his original form tore away from his body and shot into the air.
His massive, root-covered body collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The strange devouring sensation vanished as if severed by fate itself.
He had survived!
Though alive, the Vine Demon Elder was horrified, staring in disbelief at his fallen body.
Without his Reverse Fate Opportunity, he might have died just now!
For someone who had lived for over ten thousand years, to come so close to death...
What was this feeling?
It was as though one foot had already stepped into the gates of death. Even now, a chill ran down his spine.
The other Demon Kings, who had been in pursuit, stopped and stared blankly at the Vine Demon Elder, equally shaken by what they had witnessed.
They had heard of the terrifying power of the young man's battle banners, but such bizarre effects were entirely unexpected.
As the six Demon Kings hesitated, Li Hongzhuang was equally astonished. She recalled how, when rescuing her fifth brother Li Xuanli earlier, the sword qi from the banners had similarly slain a Demon King in a strange manner.
It was not the raw destructive power of the sword qi but some hidden, undetectable killing mechanism within it!
Li Tiangang was also dumbfounded. A Reverse Fate Realm being had been forced to waste a life!
At this moment, the siblings increased their speed and fled.
They soon caught up with their army and raced together toward the city’s defensive array.
...
Outside the array, Li Xuanli and others had been waiting. Seeing the six Demon Kings held back by Li Hongzhuang’s battle banners and unable to pursue, they immediately ordered the temporary closure of the array’s node.
The army charged across the drawbridge into the defensive lines.
Li Hongzhuang handed a command token to Li Tiangang. Once the army was safely inside, the array was reactivated to prevent the Demon Kings from launching a sneak attack.
Li Tiangang and Li Hongzhuang passed through the golden array, entering the defensive lines.
"Tiangang!"
"Fifth Brother!"
The two brothers embraced tightly, their years of camaraderie as generals undiminished.
Having just escaped a deadly encounter, they were grateful for Li Hongzhuang’s timely arrival, which had undoubtedly saved their lives.
Li Tiangang quickly composed himself, turning to see the six Demon Kings approaching again. The Vine Demon Elder, once the most aggressive, now lagged at the back of the group.
"How many battle banners do you have left?" Li Tiangang asked urgently.
Li Hongzhuang checked her remaining banners and replied, "Twenty-three!"
"Good!"
Li Tiangang nodded, breathing a sigh of relief. With these banners, defending the second line of defense would not be an issue.
"What about Tianmen Pass? How many are there?" he asked.
"There are plenty left," Li Hongzhuang replied.
Li Tiangang looked startled. "How many is ‘plenty’? Do you have a specific count?"
"Maybe a hundred?" Li Hongzhuang guessed uncertainly.
After all, Li Hao had only explained how to use the battle banners, not their exact number.
If all the battle banners in Cangya City were as powerful as these, there might easily be over a thousand of them. However, she estimated that these banners must have been specially crafted. Ordinary banners likely did not carry such devastating power. If all the banners in the city were like this, the ones left standing on the watchtowers might have been destroyed by now, causing catastrophic damage to the city itself.
"So many?" Both Li Tiangang and Li Xuanli were stunned.
"These battle banners should be unique creations. Their power is immense. Having over a hundred seems unlikely, right?" Li Xuanli asked doubtfully.
Li Tiangang nodded in agreement. "He didn’t tell you the exact number?"
"No," Li Hongzhuang replied.
"That rascal!" Li Tiangang cursed angrily. "At a time like this, he’s still withholding information? Can’t he even trust his own family?"
Li Hongzhuang quickly interjected, "It might have been in the rush of the moment. Hao’er probably forgot to mention it. I can sense his good intentions. Perhaps I miscalculated, and he only left a small portion behind."
Li Xuanli sighed lightly, nodding. "Regardless, for Hao’er to provide so many banners is truly a blessing for half of Liang Province."
"It’s what he should do," Li Tiangang said with a cold snort. "Liang Province is in crisis. If the Emperor bestowed such a powerful treasure upon him and he hoarded it, he would be unworthy of the Li family name!"
Amid the crowd, Li Wushuang glanced at Li Tiangang, hesitant to speak.
She vividly remembered how, by the Longjiang River in Dayue City, that young man had faced the world's martial masters and declared openly: "I do not bear the Li name."
He had long since stopped considering himself part of the Li family... she thought to herself silently.
Yet under her Seventh Uncle's imposing demeanor, the words caught in her throat, and she merely sighed inwardly.
...
...
Tianmen Pass, Cangya City.
In a small courtyard enclosed by wooden fences...
Clack!
A white piece landed on the board, sealing the final retreat of the black stones.
When no retreat remains...
It is time to admit defeat.
Li Hao smiled faintly as he picked up the tea beside him and took a sip. He looked at the pale, dejected Xu Zhouyuan across from him and said, "Senior, I concede."
"The young general’s skill in chess is unmatched. I humbly admit defeat," Xu Zhouyuan replied with a wry smile.
"Your mind is unsettled. Let’s leave it here for today," Li Hao said gently, noticing that the steady stream of military reports earlier had disrupted the elder's focus, preventing him from immersing himself in the game.
How can one win when their mind is elsewhere?
In chess, as in life, the heart matters most.
Xu Zhouyuan felt a sense of relief at Li Hao’s words. He sighed lightly and cupped his hands in gratitude. "Thank you, young general."
He rose slowly, hesitation flickering across his face. After a moment, he said, "Young General, with Liang Province in peril, please be cautious yourself."
Li Hao smiled faintly. "Senior, are you planning to leave Liang Province?"
A flush of embarrassment crossed Xu Zhouyuan's face as he admitted, "We are but ordinary folk. Staying here might become a burden to the general."
Li Hao nodded thoughtfully. "If that’s the case, I won’t insist you stay. However, with demonic activity intensifying beyond the borders these past few days, you may be safer here in Cangya City. I worry you might encounter danger on the road."
Xu Zhouyuan froze, then quickly nodded. "Thank you for your care, young general."
"No need for thanks," Li Hao said, smiling as he signaled Ren Qianqian to escort Xu Zhouyuan out.
To value one’s life, even if not a soldier, was not something to criticize.
"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Qianqian," Xu Zhouyuan said politely, though with some lingering guilt.
Li Hao gazed into the distance. The setting sun cast its glow over the courtyard fence, spilling into the veranda and illuminating half the chessboard—and half of his figure.
The warmth of the sun was comforting.
"The sunset is so beautiful," he murmured softly, "yet it is so fleeting."
He drained the last of his tea and was about to rise for a training session when a notification flashed before his eyes.
Li Hao noticed that the marker count on his Heaven and Earth Diagram panel was decreasing.
The count flickered occasionally...
Within a short span, it had dropped by more than ten.
This indicated that over ten battle banners had been destroyed.
Li Hao’s gaze sharpened, and his thoughts raced. He immediately understood: Li Hongzhuang must have reached the battlefield on the other side.