From afar, a figure whooshed through the air, speeding towards them—it was Li Tian Gang.
The roar of Li Hao’s anger had echoed through the entire city, naturally, he had heard it too. When he paid attention, he saw the consecutive battles break out behind him.
The sacrifice formation he had been setting up naturally came to a halt, after all, with those demons slain, there was no longer a need to summon the ancestors.
As his Divine Soul hovered in the sky and he saw Li Hao shielding Li Muxiu from the two demon leaders, and heard the calls of He Jianlan and the others, his heart trembled with the thought—could that young man really be his child who had fallen into that abyss?
At this moment, fueled by surging emotions, he sped towards them riding on flares of fire.
In front of Li Hao, Ji Qingqing, having heard Li Hao’s words, felt as if each word were needles piercing her heart, and she couldn’t help but say,
“I was wrong, but aren’t you back now? What do you want me to do for you to forgive me?”
Li Hao’s eyes, which had been calm, suddenly shot out a glint of cold light as he said,
“Yes, I am back, but your child has died forever in that abyss. I returned by my own abilities, by my own self, not because of you, or any of you!”
Ji Qingqing was stunned, looking at the young man who had been calm but now looked cold and detached; she realized she had said something wrong as tears started streaming down her face,
“But you are the child I gave birth to, can’t you give your mother another chance to make it right?”
Hearing this choked speech, Li Hao turned to look at her and said,
“A chance to make it right? Did I go to the Ji Family seeking death, or did I go to Qiu Tian Dao exploring the abyss?”
Her heart felt as if it was being struck with a heavy hammer with each rhetorical question; it felt like all warmth had been drained from her body, sending shivers down her spine. Yes, that child had braved the Great Wilderness Heaven alone, encountering many hardships—was it not to see her?
Suddenly she realized that she was not worthy to speak such words. Make it right? Could she really make amends for both abandoning her child over a decade ago and letting him face danger once more?
Her tears flowed like a broken dam, and her heart ached so intensely that it was hard to breathe.
“Qingqing!”
Li Tian Gang came speeding in, landing on the outskirts. Li Wushuang and the others stepped aside upon seeing the arrival of the Family Head.
Li Tian Gang quickly approached, glanced at Li Hao’s frosty gaze, then at his wife who was crying so hard she could barely speak, feeling as if his heart was being carved out.
“You shouldn’t speak to your mother that way!”
Li Tian Gang’s eyes reddened slightly as he said to Li Hao, “It was my failing before, I was too harsh on you, stubborn in my own beliefs, faulting you without thorough investigation. I accept any blame from you, but you can’t treat your mother this way, she went through a lot to bring you into this world.”
Li Hao frowned, his calm heart now filled with an indescribable sense of irritation and weariness. Explore more adventures at empire
He said indifferently, “Stop calling her ‘mother’ over and over; you don’t need to apologize to me. I hold no grudge for the past. From the moment I stepped out of the Divine General Mansion, I severed ties with you. I have repaid everything I owed you for my upbringing. The Demon Blood you sent back from Northern Yan has been returned to you twofold. As of now, I have no ties with you—don’t you feel that I no longer carry your bloodline?”
During his speech, Li Hao made no effort to conceal his aura, and the All Phenomena Attributes were already removed from his person.
Upon hearing Li Hao’s words, Li Tian Gang was stunned, shocked as he looked at him. Ji Qingqing, too, was frozen, forgetting to cry as she desperately checked Li Hao’s aura.
He Jianlan and the others were equally astonished. Li Hao’s aura was so strong they hardly noticed it, but now Li Hao’s words prompted them to quickly release their own auras to investigate Li Hao’s body.
“Hao Er!”
At his side, Li Muxiu, who was being healed on the back of the Candle Flame God, suddenly sat up, coughing out blood, though one of his arms had healed. His wrinkled old face, full of lines, looked panic-stricken at Li Hao.
He knew Li Hao wouldn’t lie lightly; forgetting protocol, he rapidly checked and indeed did not find any trace of the Li Family bloodline within Li Hao.
He seemed like a candle flickering in the wind, swaying unsteadily, somewhat dazed.
Li Xiaoran and Li Qingzheng were also taken aback, rushing to investigate, and thereafter stood stunned, staring blankly at the young man.
The surrounding ancestral Heroic Spirits of the Li Family frowned, sensing what had happened. They were deceased Heroic Spirits with a natural connection to the Li Family bloodline. They could see that Li Hao no longer carried a trace of Li blood.
But after hearing the others, it seemed this extraordinary and peerless talent indeed originated from their Li Family, from their own bloodline!
But how could this be?
“Child, were you once one of the Li Family?” An ancestral Heroic Spirit couldn’t help but ask, their gentle gaze filled with perplexity.
Li Hao glanced at them, his expression calm and detached, as he said,
“I am myself; once, there was a child in your Li Family who looked like me. But that child is dead now.”
Hearing Li Hao’s words, Li Tian Gang’s aura surged violently as he roared, “Impossible, I don’t believe it! You can’t be him, who are you?!”
“Tiangang!”
Li Muxiu, his face pale as paper, suddenly roared with the force of Tao Realm power, causing Li Tian Gang’s head to sound like it exploded, and he stood dumbfounded.
“How much further do you wish to err?!”
Li Muxiu’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared intently at him.
Li Tian Gang stood frozen, then slowly looked up at Li Hao, his eyes filled with sorrow.