Chapter 316: Chapter 64: Swords Ignite the Beacon Fires (Second Update)
Li Hao issued one command after another, and by now, the courtyard had emptied.
Upon hearing Xu Zhouyuan’s voice, Li Hao looked over at him, saw his anxious expression, and smiled, “Senior, don’t worry, Heavenly Gate Pass will be fine.”
After finishing, he sat back down and said, “There’s still time, let’s finish this game of chess.”
Xu Zhouyuan was stunned, looking at the youth who remained calm amidst imminent danger, he suddenly felt a sense of shame.
Although he wasn’t a Martial Artist, he had lived for seventy years but still fell short of this youth’s composure.
“Then I shall accompany the young marshal to finish this game.”
Xu Zhouyuan took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.
Meanwhile, outside Heavenly Gate Pass.
Seven hundred miles away, in a wilderness where giant trees touched the sky.
A vast group of Demons swept forward like a tidal wave, led by four Immortal Realm Great Demons.
“Both the eastern and western territories have been breached, huh? Worthy of Dragon Soar and Great Void Realm indeed, their actions are truly extraordinary; Liangzhou will soon be our territory!”
“By now their military forces should all be concentrated in the inner territories, right? If they don’t shrink their defensive line, they’ll die even faster.”
“The brat at Heavenly Gate Pass, the one who destroyed my lair and desecrated my ancestral land, I wonder if he can still sit still now!”
“Once this boy leaves, we’ll break through Heavenly Gate Pass and take the opportunity to contribute too. That way, we’ll be well-positioned to claim a piece of territory later.”
The leading Great Demons were those that had been previously driven away by Li Hao from outside the pass.
With a prompt from Tianji Palace, they had escaped in advance and gone into hiding, fortunately missing the danger.
But their lairs had been destroyed and claimed with flags, deterring them from approaching.
“Elders, Marshal Haotian hasn’t returned yet. He went to Tianji Tower just six days ago, and even if he only studied for one day, he would need until tomorrow to return if he travels normally,” said a Bird Demon from Tianji Palace as it flew swiftly to bring the intelligence.
Li Hao had concealed his tracks when he left the pass; even Tianji Palace could not detect him and had to infer his movements based on those who came and went from Tianji Tower.
Now, they had mobilized the intelligence outpost from Yongzhou to help investigate the area outside Tianji Tower.
However, Tianji Tower also dealt in intelligence. Tianji Palace had been established based on Tianji Tower’s model and didn’t dare approach Tianji City too closely. Consequently, Li Hao’s whereabouts could only be guessed.
“Hmph, the one on the city walls is just an avatar, not unlike our Demon Art—frightening but a bluff,” a Great Demon from the Immortal Realm scoffed. Although the Cultivation Technique of creating avatars was rare, they had seen quite a few, and those avatars typically possessing one-tenth the power of the original body were considered quite good.
“Why don’t we take the chance to attack while he’s still not back?” suggested a Demon.
After discussing for a while, they quickly made a decision and immediately ordered the army to march at full speed.
Soon, the scouts sent to investigate detected the movements of these Demons and passed the information back.
“Report!!”
The shout arose, rushing into the small fenced courtyard.
Xu Zhouyuan, just about to place a black piece, nearly fumbled it and hurriedly looked over.
Li Hao paused, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he signaled for the report to be made.
“Report to the general, we have located the traces of the Demons outside the pass. The number is roughly over fifty thousand, with what seems to be two Immortal Realm Great Demons among them; the strength of the remaining Demons is still unclear,” reported the scout.
Li Hao slightly raised an eyebrow.
Fifty thousand?
Only that many?
If it were the Demon King in command, he wouldn’t bring just fifty thousand troops unless he aimed to conceal his movements or lull the enemy into complacency, or perhaps he planned to strike quickly.
But if it was a quick strike, the Demon King himself would suffice—with smaller disturbances and faster speed, he certainly wouldn’t let a Demon army stir the grass and alert the snake.
After all, the combined power gathered by fifty thousand troops was still insufficient to withstand a few slaps from the Demon King.
“Report back immediately if there are changes,” Li Hao said.
“Yes.”
The scout departed.
Li Hao turned around, and immediately noticed a vacancy in the black pieces on the chessboard. He smiled and placed a white piece to fill the gap.
“Marshal…” Xu Zhouyuan swallowed his saliva with some effort.
Li Hao smiled faintly and said, “Elder, with the Inner Formation in place and my presence here, it’s too late to flee now. It’s either life or death. Better to stay calm and finish this game with me.”
Xu Zhouyuan was taken aback, then realized it was true. It was definitely too late to leave the city now. If Heavenly Gate Pass were to fall, wouldn’t the enemy attack immediately? Could they, mere carriages and horses, possibly outrun the Demons?
He immediately focused his mind, took a few sips of tea, and now seated in this besieged city, his thoughts seemed to clear up a lot. He felt braver and began to consider his moves seriously.
As the Demon Tide outside the pass loomed closer, reports from the scouts continuously reached Li Hao’s ears.
The Demon Tide was getting closer.
A hundred miles outside the pass.
Upon seeing those war flags scattered around, the faces of the four Immortal Great Demons changed, filled with a nightmarish sensation, followed swiftly by annoyed and furious outrage.
“Send the order, avoid these war flags at all costs, and don’t touch them,” one commanded.
The Great Demon issued the command.
The massive and dispersed wave of the Demon Tide suddenly contracted, and its pace slowed down.
“I will protect these war flags to prevent any shortsighted creature from touching them,” an Immortal Demon stated, releasing its power to cover the flags and prevent them from being touched.
The Demon Tide continued to march on, and quickly arrived in front of Heavenly Gate Pass.
At that moment, numerous soldiers atop the pass were prepared for battle.
Watching the approaching dark tide of beasts, both the Haotian Army and the Bloodsha Army had a grave expression on their faces.
Meanwhile, the message also reached Li Hao’s ears.
“Have they already arrived?”
Li Hao narrowed his eyes slightly. Whether there was a Demon King hidden within the Demon Tide, he would know after making his move.
“Qianqian.”
Li Hao called out softly.
Ren Qianqian had already ceased her cultivation practice. After all, the continuous military reports had unsettled her, making it difficult to concentrate on her training.
Now, hearing Li Hao’s call, she immediately understood his intention, turned, and ran into the house to fetch Li Hao’s sword from the Sword Box.
This Sword Box was crafted by Ten Thousand Artifacts Tower when they forged the Dragon Soar Sword for Li Hao, normally used to store the treasured sword.
Ren Qianqian opened the Sword Box, and with a sheathing sound, the Dragon Soar Sword emerged suddenly from its sheath. The bright gleam of the blade reflected in Ren Qianqian’s eyes, turning into a streak of golden light. Like a dragon swirling through the sky, it drew an arc above the courtyard before speeding towards the exterior of Cangya City.
The diameter of Cangya City was just sixty miles across, which was the size of a medium city, but Li Hao’s range of control over objects extended to a hundred miles.
On the streets, numerous scions from noble families and talented youths from different states, stood on the street, rushing towards the city walls.
They had heard about the Demon attack on the city, yet they were not frightened; instead, there was an inexplicable excitement.
Usually, slaying Demons required traveling over mountains and searching far and wide. But now, they could witness a Demon Tide.
As they rushed to see, suddenly, a streak of golden light raced over their heads, carrying a terrifying pressure and murderous aura.
That streak of golden light, with a dragon’s roar and a tiger’s bellow, sped towards the direction of the city gates.
“What’s that?”
“It looks like a sword!”
“Hurry, let’s go and see!”
Among the astonishment of the crowd, they hastily chased after the golden sword light, heading towards it.