Qingzhou, a fortified city amidst chaos.
The city was infested with demons, corpses scattered everywhere, their blood spattered on collapsed buildings.
Some demons gnawed on the remains of soldiers on the ground, disemboweled them, leaving organs and severed limbs strewn about.
A few of the surviving city-dwellers were herded into the open spaces of ruined buildings, cordoned off as if they were pigs in a pen, shivering in fear.
Porters, traders, scholars, and Jianghu martial artists were all crammed together, indistinguishable from one another, all just fish on the cutting board for the demons to slaughter as they wished.
Weak and delicate young ladies from noble families wanted to cry but had their mouths covered by others, afraid to anger the demons.
Their grief was nothing but noise and annoyance to the demons.
“Who can save us…”
Everyone was in a state of panic, staring longingly into the distance, praying for Dayu’s army to come and suppress the demons.
From time to time, someone would be selected and taken not far away to be torn apart or cooked alive, their screams echoing, sending chills down the spines of those left behind.
Some were so frightened they soiled themselves, collapsing weakly on the ground, limp as boneless when lifted by demons.
High in the sky, a figure seated in flames whizzed from afar, briefly slowing down as he passed over the city and saw the tragic scene within. The young man’s face darkened amidst the fire, and without any noticeable movement, a sudden gust of wind blew through the heavens and earth.
This wind turned into dozens of razor-sharp sword Qi, unseen and swift, shooting out at great speed.
The demons in the city fell one by one, the survivors startled by the disturbance but unable to see the enemy until the corpses of demons littered the ground and they finally noticed the young man seated on the back of a Great Red Flame Demon overhead.
Screams of terror and pleading rose, but without exception, all were pierced through the head by sword Qi.
In a matter of breaths, all the demons in the city had perished.
Only their bodies remained, and among the demons still gnawing their feast, some holding uneaten arms in their mouths, toppled into the dust.
The sudden turn of events left those corralled for slaughter within the city stunned. Among the Jianghu martial artists, there were understated and cautious Divine Travel Realm experts waiting for their moment. Now, they quickly noticed the Great Red Flame Demon and the young man seated on its back in the sky.
“Someone has come to save us!”
“It’s a court general, definitely a court general!”
“That’s the general’s mount, not a demon!”
In an instant, as some martial artists shouted out, the rest gradually became aware of the fiery figure above the city. Some of the common elders were too dim-sighted to see that far, only perceiving a flicker of firelight, as if a deity hung suspended in the sky. They knew it was a savior, one of the soaring generals from the court.
In a moment, all the survivors in the city, stricken with grief, knelt down and cried out in gratitude.
Li Hao sighed lightly, having dispatched these demons and assured there were no stragglers, he let the Candle Flame God continue on the way to the next city.
Before returning to Liangzhou, he thought of the many cities he had seen suffering and decided to address them on his way back.
Some cities had already been pacified by the Li Family’s army, others not yet. Some demons had retreated from these cities while others, driven by greed, were still occupying them and harming the citizens.
The quicker the recovery of lost territory, the fewer casualties there would be.
Not long after Li Hao left, two figures whizzed through the air towards the city, an old man and a young child.
The young girl in blue-green clothes glanced down at the city and then, lifting her hand, summoned something from the golden bracelet on her wrist adorned with nine small bells. They made a crisp, tinkling sound.
Suddenly, dark mists rose from various places within the city. Cries and roars like those from tormented souls emerged, heading straight towards the bells on her wrist.
Shortly after, the black mist rising from the bodies and ruined walls was entirely absorbed and vanished.
Ying Xiaoxiao lowered her wrist, glanced at the devastated cityscape, slightly shook her head, and then proceeded to dash through the air following the tea stall elder.
About two hours after they left, the sound of galloping horses and flying war banners approached from afar. It was the Li Family Army sent to quell the chaos.
When the troops entered the city and saw the demons had already been cleared, they were all astonished.
After questioning some Jianghu martial artists and respected family elders in the city, they learned that a general riding a Great Red Flame Demon had come and annihilated all the demons.
Hearing their description, the Li Family soldiers looked at each other in disbelief.
The scene over Qingzhou City was still vivid in their minds—a memory that they would struggle to forget even decades later. Wasn’t that the same Haotian General?
When the citizens and the officers inquired about the general’s name, the Li Family soldiers did not conceal it.
Soon, the name Haotian spread among those survivors. Some merchants and families proposed to erect a Golden Body for the Haotian General during the city’s reconstruction, to suppress demons and consecrate a temple in his honor.
…
…
In less than a day, Li Hao riding the Candle Flame God traversed much of Qingzhou, and after checking more than a dozen other cities without a trace of demons, he finally changed direction, heading towards Liangzhou.
The remaining areas could be gradually cleared by the Li Family Army.
The next day.
In the slightly humid morning mist, Li Hao, seated on the Candle Flame God, arrived at the border of Liangzhou.
Upon seeing the familiar Dragon Pass Road, a sense of nostalgia emerged in his eyes.
Looking down from high above, this once Dragon Pass Road resembled a giant dragon stretching out from the border, flanked by lush greenery, the sounds of birds and beasts echoing from the forests.
Li Hao dismounted from the Candle Flame God, letting it take human form to avoid startling the city folk.
As the pair approached Dragon Pass Road, suddenly, an old man’s call came from behind.
“Young man, are you heading to Cangya City?”
Li Hao turned around and saw a grandfather and grandson pair gathering herbs, their baskets filled with freshly picked medicinal herbs and mushrooms.
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He paused, then smiled, feeling as if time had reversed to two years ago.
The old man clearly didn’t recognize the young man as the same individual who had advised against entering Dragon Pass Road two years earlier.
Yet, Li Hao recognized him, and with a laugh he replied, “Indeed, I am going to Cangya City.”
“Dragon Pass Road is just ahead.”
The elder called out to Li Hao, and the familiar words, identical to the ones from the past, made Li Hao pause for a moment. However, the elder’s face was wreathed in smiles, and he shouted loudly:
“May you, young heroes from noble families, have a future as splendid as a tapestry!”
A smile slowly spread across Li Hao’s face as he responded, “And may your harvests be bountiful every day.”
The elder chuckled, waved his hand, and left with his grandson.
They were all just passersby in the mortal world, a hasty meeting, simple care, simple blessings.
Li Hao watched as the pair, old and young, walked away before he turned with a smile and continued down Dragon Pass Road.
Two years had passed, and the changes here were indeed significant.
The once perilous land now seemed to flourish with prosperity. Those youths who came incessantly in search of fame and success evidently brought a burst of greenery to this place through their presence.
On Dragon Pass Road, a tea stall had vanished, but the roadside had gained many more vendors. Li Hao’s pace quickened, growing more relaxed, almost as if he were returning home.
Feng must have been waiting for a while, and Qianqian must have reached her cultivation bottleneck.
As for the Little White Fox’s peculiar state, I wonder if it’s been assimilated yet.
Many thoughts surged through his mind until, soon enough, Li Hao arrived at Cangya City.
Gazing at the city, its defenses covered in arrays, and its walls studded with banners bearing his name, they fluttered in the fierce wind.
Li Hao extended his Dao Domain over Xiyan to conceal her aura. The Candle Flame God did not require Li Hao’s worry—aside from the array in the Imperial Capital, few others could detect the presence of the Taiping Tao Domain, and that was the limit of the Heavenly Observatory’s ability.
After all, the previous Great Celestial Master had died, and it seemed that his successor had not managed to inherit his abilities.
Once inside the city, the changes that had taken place over just a few months were quite noticeable—the streets were tidier, and there were more vendors yet everything seemed more orderly.
For a border city to have such an atmosphere was truly rare.
Compared to the increasingly crowded city, at its center lay an isolated and vast open space, with a simple and humble bamboo-fenced courtyard in the middle.
Hidden in the shadows outside the small courtyard were Celestial Master Realm soldiers secretly patrolling.
Li Hao swept the area with his Divine Thought and saw a young girl practicing swordplay within. He smiled slightly and transmitted his voice:
“I’m back.”
Inside the courtyard, Ren Qianqian, who was sword training, froze. She looked around in astonishment.
Quickly realizing something, she rushed out of the bamboo fence and saw a young man not far from the courtyard entrance.
“Young, Young Master?”
Ren Qianqian was somewhat stunned. The young man before her looked slightly different, but the tone of that Divine Thought instantly allowed her to recognize him as Li Hao.
But when those people had arrived previously and saw Li Hao’s avatar dissipate, hadn’t they said that the Young Master was dead?
Ren Qianqian felt bewildered, wondering if she were dreaming. She rubbed her eyes, but when her vision cleared once more, tears suddenly cascaded down her face as she ran towards Li Hao.
“Young Master, you’re still alive…”
She threw herself into Li Hao’s embrace, crying as she spoke.
Li Hao was a bit taken aback, but after she cried for a while and his shoulder was soaked through, he felt a warm feeling in his heart and said:
“Silly child, why are you crying? I’m back now.”
Once Ren Qianqian’s emotions had settled, Li Hao took her into the courtyard.
The Celestial Masters lurking in secret were stunned; they had assumed Li Hao was someone from a noble family, but hearing the Sword Attendant girl’s words, could this person be the Haotian General?!
Many of them widened their eyes in shock, then became overwhelmingly excited.
Previously, when Li Tian Gang and others came here trying to confirm through Li Hao’s avatar whether he truly was dead, they concluded he was upon learning of the avatar’s dissolution.
And the news they confirmed had spread, plunging the entire Cangya City into mourning.
But now, Li Hao had returned!
The General who had quelled the turmoil in Liangzhou, that peerless and extraordinary young prodigy, he had come back!
Shortly after Li Hao entered the courtyard, several overwrought Celestial Masters came bursting in, inquiring if he indeed was the Haotian General.
Looking at those teary-eyed Grandmasters, Li Hao felt much emotion. He nodded in confirmation, letting them know that he had returned.
The news spread quickly, causing an uproar throughout Cangya City, with countless people hastening over and creating a clamor outside the courtyard.
Meanwhile, inside, Li Hao had finished introducing the Candle Flame God and Xiyan to Ren Qianqian, and also briefly inquired about the events of the past period.
Upon discovering that his avatar had dissipated, Li Hao was a bit surprised, which explained why everyone thought he was dead.
It could have been due to severing of the bloodline or perhaps grave injuries, so he planned to create another avatar.
Even if the original avatar had not dissipated, its strength had been fixed from the moment of condensation, with no memory sharing or power transmission between it and the original self.
Thus, compared to his current state, the original avatar was clearly too weak.
However, before condensing another avatar, Li Hao intended to first seek out some Refine the Spirit and Object Manipulating Qi Circulation Skill manuals.
Now that his Control Dao had advanced to the Seventh Stage, acquiring some Refine the Spirit and Object Control manuals would allow him to swiftly enhance the limits of his Divine Travel Realm and Fifteen Li Realm.
He had already cultivated the Extreme State in the Universal Force Realm, Zhou Tian Realm, and Soul Continuation Realm.
Yet the Divine Travel Realm and Fifteen Li Realm were still some distance from their limits.
He had also achieved the Extreme State in both the Celestial Master Realm and the Three Immortal Realms.
Once Divine Travel and Fifteen Li Realm reached Perfection, Li Hao would then consider attempting to break through to the Extreme Limit of the Four Stands Realm.
“Where’s Feng?” Li Hao inquired Ren Qianqian, somewhat surprised.
He had been back for so long, yet Feng hadn’t appeared. Even if Feng was itching for a day of wild fishing, he shouldn’t have wandered too far.
After all, Feng was a man who kept his promises.