Chapter 70: Chapter 67: Follow Me to Slay the Demon
Hurriedly returning to the skies above Cangyu City, Li Hao had already seen the vast expanse of demonic clouds rolling in from the north.
But his first action wasn’t to head north; instead, he went to the City Lord’s Mansion, wanting to understand the situation.
However, upon search with his divine soul, he witnessed this scene within the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Monster Suppression Department?!”
At the same time, Yue Shuhong and the broad-faced man also noticed the dark attire on Li Hao, both taken aback.
It was indeed the Monster Suppression Department, but he was the most ordinary of monster suppressors.
Yet, from Li Hao’s entrance, it was impossible that he was merely an ordinary monster suppressor.
“You are…”
Yue Shuhong frowned; he did not remember such a young powerhouse among the Monster Suppression Department within the city.
Li Hao, however, paid no attention to the city’s defender, instead turning his head to glare at the broad-faced man: “You’re called Tiger Press? Is that you, the Tiger Robe Immortal?”
The broad-faced man cracked a grim smile, revealing a ferocious grin: “That’s right, it’s me, your Tiger Lord. The lad actually knows my title; it seems I’ve made some name for myself outside Cangyu City.”
Li Hao’s fingers clenched around the hilt of his blade tightened slightly, and the hilt slowly deformed.
He took a deep breath and said, “Seven years ago, you ambushed a captain on the national road of Qi State, remember that?”
“Hmm?”
The broad-faced man raised an eyebrow, and a chill flashed in his eyes: “You’re talking about that man from the Northern Yan Army? What’s your relation to the Li Family?!”
Seeing the man admit it, the killing intent in Li Hao’s eyes became uncontrollable:
“My surname is Li!”
The Tiger Robe Immortal’s pupils contracted slightly, his aura surged, and his gaze passed Li Hao, landing on Yue Shuhong ominously:
“Yue, it seems this kid has already overheard our conversation. What should we do now?”
“Your collusion with our demon race is out in the open. Even if you escape me today, you’ll still fall from grace. According to the laws of the Great Yu Dynasty, you should know the crime for colluding with demons, right?”
Its eyes turned fierce: “How about this—you kill the kid, and I’ll forgive you for the confusion earlier.”
Yue Shuhong’s gaze similarly turned stern, staring at the silhouette of Li Hao.
But after a moment, he shook his head slightly and sneered, “Tiger Robe, if I continue to listen to you, that really would be foolish. Today, it’s either you die, or I perish. When we first formed an alliance, didn’t we agree to die on the same day of the same month?”
“Pah, idiot!”
The Tiger Robe Immortal spat out a stinking glob of saliva, sneering, “You short-lived ghosts of the Human Race think you’re worthy to live and die with me?!”
In the midst of speaking, he suddenly pounced toward Li Hao. The enormous tiger demon’s spirit soul roared behind him, its roar thundering like a low growl, enough to render anyone in the Soul Succession Realm unconscious on the spot.
But the fearsome roar only lightly brushed the hair on Li Hao’s forehead.
His eyes were dark and deep, as if void of light.
It was only when the massive frame of the Tiger Robe Immortal rapidly closed in that he abruptly raised his hand.
With a thud, his five fingers spread open, pressing on the Tiger Robe Immortal’s forehead, then ruthlessly pushed down, crashing against the solid stone slabs beneath their feet, shattering them.
This exchange happened in an instant, like lightning, and Yue Shuhong, who hadn’t even had the chance to draw his sword to help, found his foot frozen in mid-air.
The blade of the demon-slaying knife, now reversed in Li Hao’s hand, was fiercely plunged into the side of the Tiger Robe Immortal’s neck.
The Tiger Robe Immortal was shocked, unable to believe it as he looked up—this immense power, this kind of skill, how could it be possible?!
But the eyes he met were a pair of chilling coldness.
“I won’t let you die so easily.”
Li Hao spoke in a low whisper.
As he spoke, he also proved his words with action.
The blade edge slid across the flesh of the Tiger Robe Immortal’s neck, abruptly tearing away the skin from his shoulder and ripping off the tiger skin from his back.
Cooking technique, skin peeling and stewing!
This was the most commonly used technique for peeling ingredients, so skilled it neared perfection!
The sudden loss of skin and flesh caused the Tiger Robe Immortal to let out a ferocious and painful roar.
A tiger roar came from its throat, its skin split open, and black-yellow fur grew wildly, revealing its true form.
As it displayed its true form, the basement began to feel crowded.
Behind it, the enormous Tiger Demon’s spirit soul rushed towards Li Hao, but behind Li Hao, his own divine soul emerged.
With a body similar to Li Hao’s, he simply raised his hand and with one palm strike, he burst the Tiger Demon’s Spirit Soul’s head.
The fierce palm wind forced the Tiger Demon’s Spirit Soul to stagger backwards, and when its head condensed again, its Divine Soul had become much thinner. Terror and fear gleamed from the eyes of the Tiger Demon’s Spirit Soul.
Unmatched!
“How exactly did you kill Lin, today I will make you pay back slowly,” Li Hao said, word by word.
The broken sword in his hand, still sharp under the coverage of the Divine Soul, revealed the true form of the Tiger Robe Immortal whose head was being stepped on by Li Hao’s foot on his forehead, immobilized as if nailed by a steel spike!
It twisted its body, struggling furiously to escape from under Li Hao’s foot.
At that moment, a flash of golden light shone in Li Hao’s eyes as he suddenly unleashed the power of the chess pattern embedded in the Physical Body Path, Tiger Press!
“Tiger Press”: Physical Strength slightly increased, with intimidation!
When embedded into swordsmanship, it would enhance the power and might of the sword moves.
Under Li Hao’s release at this moment, his body burst forth with the majesty of a thousand-year-old great tiger, like the king of the mountains and forests, his eyes shooting out a cold gleam that would make all beasts submit.
The Tiger Robe Immortal, stepped on by Li Hao, felt the terrifying aura emanating from him and couldn’t help but tremble all over, his eyes becoming dull.
It felt as though it was being suppressed by a tiger king, unable to muster any will to resist.
Its body shook like a sieve, and the intense pain no longer provoked any ferocity.
“Spare me, please, I was wrong, I will do anything, even serve as your house servant…” the Tiger Robe Immortal begged tremulously.
Li Hao said nothing, only quickly slicing with the sharp edge in his hand, skillfully peeling off a complete tiger skin from head to toe.
The Tiger Robe Immortal was in such pain that life seemed worse than death, but it just lay there quivering on the ground, not daring to run away.
Yue Shuhong, who was watching nearby, had a stunned expression. Was this the same Tiger Robe Immortal that had been arrogant before him for over twenty years?
Flaying, deboning, cutting tendons!
Blood flowed like rivers, seeping from the huge body of the Tiger Robe Immortal, covered in blood, uttering countless pleas, but Li Hao remained unmoved.
Such a bloody, brutal scene deeply shocked Yue Shuhong’s mind, leaving him feeling chilled to the bone and trembling.
After nearly half an hour of torment, Li Hao beheaded the Tiger Robe Immortal, now a blur of flesh and blood with only a breath remaining.
He planted his broken sword into the back and chest of the Tiger Robe Immortal, grabbed the tiger head with eyes filled with fear and dullness, and said coldly,
“Seven years ago, when the Tiger Demon ambushed the people of the Li Family, did you take part in it?”
A tremor went through Yue Shuhong’s body. Although the youth did not turn around, he could feel the chill that enveloped his whole body.
By now, he knew he could not escape death and said with a bitter smile, “I may be guilty of death, but I would never do something like framing the loyal and good.”
Li Hao said coldly, “Then conspiring with demons, secretly sending humans as food for them, was that your doing?”
Yue Shuhong’s cheeks twitched faintly, and he nodded, “Yes, that was all my doing, sacrificing humans to these demons, harming my own kind.”
He said self-mockingly, “Initially, I only sent them some death-row prisoners as disposable resources, but later, when there weren’t enough prisoners, they pressed me, and I had no choice but to give them bandits and even civilians.”
“Why?”
Li Hao turned his head, gazing at him.
“Why collude with demons?”
Yue Shuhong gave a bitter smile, a hint of regret in his eyes, “When I first took the post, I also wanted to clear the surrounding demons, to purify our realm, but later learned that human power has its limits. These demons cannot be eradicated; they multiply too fast and are too numerous. The Great Yu Dynasty is no longer the invincible dynasty it was hundreds of years ago; in recent years, it has gradually become decadent…”
“I requested external assistance everywhere, requested troops, but all fell on deaf ears.”
“Who can save Cangyu City?”
He gave a tragic laugh and looked at Li Hao, “If I didn’t give them sacrifices, more would die. With my limited abilities, I can only bear the sins of the whole city to protect its people!”
“I know that I cannot avoid death today and I don’t expect anything, but I wish… I can be buried in Cangyu City. That would be enough for me, and I hope… you would grant me that! ”
As he spoke, he lifted his official robe and knelt down on both knees.
At the same time, he took off the black hat of the city guard from his head and put it aside.
His disheveled hair hung beside his cheeks, already wet with tears.
Standing under the warm light of the lamp, Li Hao looked down at the middle-aged man’s face that was not illuminated by the light, seeing the hot tears streaming down the face.
He was silent for a moment, then averted his gaze and said indifferently,
“Indeed, you deserve to die, but your crimes will be judged by the court, not by me.”
“Now that the Great Demon is pressing in, since you still have strength, then… follow me to slay the demon!”
Having said that, he placed the large tiger head on a table beside him and walked away.