210

Chapter 210: I Want to Go Home

"Hmm?"

Seeing Li Hao's imposing aura, the hundred-meter demon's expression changed slightly, a touch of seriousness appearing on its face. "This strange feeling... it's somewhat familiar. Are you an ancient saint prodigy from the Great Wilderness?"

Li Hao didn't respond. In a life-and-death battle, words were unnecessary.

Kill!

His flesh and blood ruptured, golden-red divine blood flowing. The influx of heaven and earth energy turned his hair silver-white, as if he were burning his life force.

Suddenly, he activated numerous attributes from his collected artifacts, attacking the demon with full force.

Sword Dao Reincarnation!

The world seemed to fall silent for a moment. The Autumn Water-like Qing Shuang sword emitted a pitch-black sword light.

The sword light, like a black thunderbolt, tore through the void, reversing light and darkness, converging everything into one sword, directly ripping apart the domain! The domain was forcibly torn open by the black sword light. The sword light then advanced like a thunderbolt, slicing through the demon's body like a knife through silk.

"What!"

The demon's pupils contracted in shock. How could his domain be torn apart?

"My domain is invincible!"

The demon roared in anger. The domain closed in, desperately trying to obliterate the black sword light, erasing the martial intent and power within it.

Various martial intents, like thunder, fire, wind, and snow, appeared, but the sword light's momentum remained undiminished.

Though it seemed like one sword light, it was actually the culmination of hundreds of sword lights, each an explosion of Li Hao's full strength.

Only in this near-critical state of immortal transformation could Li Hao instantly summon such a vast amount of power, converging into this heaven-shaking sword!

With a loud crash, the sword light shattered the dark energy in the demon's palm, blood spurted, and ghostly black energy dispersed.

Roaring, Li Hao charged forward, clad in the ancestral soul's power, wielding Qing Shuang sword, stepping into the demon's domain, and slashing at its head.

"You!"

The demon's skull was split open, blood gushing, black energy pouring out. Its body was knocked backward, staring at Li Hao in shock.

The domain closed in around Li Hao, but to the demon's astonishment, the domain couldn't immediately crush Li Hao's body.

Li Hao's body trembled but withstood the domain's suppressive rules. His body constantly broke and reformed, his bones cracking, yet he could hold out for a while!

This sight was beyond the demon's comprehension.

This was a domain! And the demon could feel its domain's rules hadn't failed; Li Hao's body was just too resilient, comparable to a top-tier divine weapon!

"Kill!"

Li Hao roared, swinging his sword furiously.

His body, akin to an eight-forged divine weapon nearing nine-forged, couldn't be instantly incinerated by the domain.

A divine weapon beyond seven-forged would take time for a domain to refine.

Li Hao's body, a nine-forged divine weapon, meant the domain couldn't immediately burn it away.

Li Hao's sword light roared, disregarding his injuries, attacking fiercely.

The demon roared in fury, genuinely angered, never having suffered such humiliation.

It unleashed overwhelming demonic energy, its body burning like black flames, repeatedly slapping its massive hands down, which could easily flatten a city into a basin, but now were repeatedly forced back by Li Hao's sword light.

In the distance, Li Xiaoran, frantically searching for an escape route, saw Li Hao's battle and was horrified.

Even with the ancestral soul's boost, Li Hao's own explosive power was terrifying.

Seeing this, Li Xiaoran grew even more anxious. Li Hao's talent couldn't be allowed to die in this demonic river.

Aside from the ancestral shrine, where else could there be a way out?

Li Xiaoran kept recalling clues from past explorations, vaguely grasping something.

At this moment, massive tremors outside the God General Mansion drew Li Xiaoran's attention. He saw waves of demonic clouds sweeping in, indicating the formation had broken, and the demonic army had breached the city walls, engaging in fierce combat.

Amidst the chaos, the most striking figures were Li Tianzong and the tattered-cloak youth.

"Big brother, if you're still conscious, show me the way..."

Li Xiaoran's eyes filled with sorrow, gritting his teeth, continuing to trace his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Li Hao and the hundred-meter demon's battle reached a fever pitch, both covered in blood.

Li Hao's blood splattered in the domain, instantly compressed and exploded. The domain contained unimaginable oppressive gravity, which would make an average Absolute Learning Realm cultivator's body explode.

"Die!!"

Li Hao roared, channeling heaven and earth energy beyond seventy percent, pushing it higher.

This also meant he could lose control at any moment.

As more violent energy poured in, Li Hao built hundreds of layers around himself.

He wasn't unaffected by the domain; he simply kept using energy to counter it, like water soaking through paper. One sheet would get soaked instantly, but a whole book would take longer.

With a loud bang, Li Hao's sword light, like black lightning, cleaved half of the demon's head.

The demon, left with only its mouth, still roared, its energy surging.

Li Hao rushed forward, driving his hands into the demon's brain, fully activating the Ten Thousand Blood Demon Art!

With the violent energy flow, the demon screamed, its essence blood continuously sucked into Li Hao's arm.

"What kind of evil art is this!"

The demon roared in rage, such a domineering technique even making a demon feel its malevolence.

"Your obsession should dissipate!"

Li Hao's eyes were cold. Seeing the demon's weakening aura, he felt a chance.

Qing Shuang sword danced, sending out black sword lights to block the domain's power, while Li Hao's hands and entire body delved deeper into the demon's brain.

Nourished by the essence blood, Li Hao's shattered body began to heal.

But the heaven and earth energy grew more violent, enveloping both Li Hao and the demon.

Li Hao's absorption sped up, and with a final scream, the demon's body knelt, its domain's oppressive force gradually ceasing and then dissipating.

With the domain gone, Li Hao's arms felt a sudden lightness as he tore the demon's body apart.

Blood splattered, and Li Hao absorbed all the essence blood.

With the demon king's essence blood, Li Hao's body continued to refine, but the immortal transformation seemed unstoppable.

While the heaven and earth energy tore at his body, Li Hao kept refining himself, repeatedly breaking and reforming, causing his body to evolve.

Emerging bathed in blood, Li Hao looked like a blood-soaked war god. He raised his sword, severing the surrounding heaven and earth energy.

The energy was cut off, and Li Hao's body stopped breaking apart.

Li Hao sealed his body, controlling the immortal transformation.

Fortunately, his newly refined body granted greater control, allowing him to halt the transformation and avoid losing control.

After catching his breath, Li Hao quickly consumed a handful of divine medicines, feeling his energy surge again.

Though such consumption would leave significant repercussions on his martial path, Li Hao had no reservations about this body.

Once his energy was fully restored, Li Hao stepped out of the demon's body, seeing Zhu Huo Shen still attacking the formation outside the God General Mansion, and felt a surge of killing intent.

Now, Zhu Huo Shen seemed far less threatening than before.

Li Hao could feel his body had reached a new level. The tearing and refining by the heaven and earth energy had brought his body close to a nine-forged divine weapon.

With a swift step, Li Hao appeared at the formation.

Seeing Li Hao suddenly appear, Zhu Huo Shen was surprised but continued to break the formation, fearing an attack from inside.

Li Hao had no intention of burdening the formation further. He stepped directly into Zhu Huo Shen's domain.

"Hmm? You're courting death..."

Zhu Huo Shen raised an eyebrow, surprised but quickly felt provoked.

He fully activated his domain, intending to burn Li Hao to ashes.

Li Hao felt the scorching layers, his blood boiling. This time, he didn't release much energy to counter the domain, instead extending a finger, testing with his body.

His finger burned as if placed on a hot iron, but it didn't turn to ash immediately.

Even alone, Li Hao's body could withstand the domain.

Not for long, but long enough.

Li Hao could use all his energy for attacking instead of countering the domain.

"Die!"

Li Hao attacked with all his might, ruthless towards himself.

Without energy to block the domain, relying only on his body, he felt like he was in boiling water.

But his will was iron, unshaken, showing no pain, only determination as he swung his sword with divine power.

"Hmm?!"

Zhu Huo Shen was horrified. Li Hao could physically withstand the domain's rules?!

Unbelievable, unimaginable, yet it was happening.

Closer inspection revealed Li Hao had refined his body to the strength of a nine-forged divine weapon, monstrous even among demons!

Refining the body offered minimal returns and took a long time, even demons avoided it.

With a loud crash, the sword light slashed, Zhu Huo Shen raised a fire spear from the space, and it collided with the sword light.

The impact nearly disarmed Zhu Huo Shen, scattering the spear's light.

Li Hao once again entered the state of Immortal Transformation, channeling the power of heaven and earth, directly reaching eighty percent of his potential.

The pulses of heaven and earth rapidly converged, infusing a terrifying power. Li Hao took consecutive steps, performing the Art of Tracelessness, and black sword light slashed down like a storm.

Previously, the formation of the Divine General's Mansion had isolated the battle between Li Hao and the hundred-foot demon, preventing Zhuhuo Shen from detecting it. Now, with Li Hao fully unleashing his power, Zhuhuo Shen immediately felt a sense of shock and fear.

He roared, brandishing his fire halberd, but was repeatedly pushed back by Li Hao, questioning his own existence.

In his own domain, he was being suppressed by someone in the Third Immortal Realm—this was outrageous! "Husband..."

Lady Yin was stunned by the scene, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

From a distance, Lu Yuan, who had wanted to assist from the sidelines, was scared stiff, staring at Li Hao as if seeing a ghost.

Throughout this slaughter, this kid was even more terrifying than when he had seen him at Tianmen Pass.

Boom! The black sword light struck Zhuhuo Shen's shoulder, tearing off an arm.

Zhuhuo Shen growled, and the blood gushing from his wound was burned away by flames. He looked at Li Hao, who had silver hair, and realized the other had used some extremely dreadful secret technique.

"Reaching the pinnacle of power, breaking through the domain, how is that possible..." Zhuhuo Shen's understanding was overturned. His domain was constantly burning Li Hao's body, but Li Hao's regeneration was terrifying, with the destroyed flesh continuously regenerating.

Zhuhuo Shen, truly angered, used the power of Immortality to instantly regrow his arm, then clashed with Li Hao again.

Their fight shook the heavens and earth, leveling the streets outside the Divine General's Mansion, everything scorched black by the burning domain.

Lady Yin and Lu Yuan exchanged glances, seeing the terror in each other's eyes. Despite being in the Realm of Supreme Mastery, they could not intervene in such a battle!

This young man was too frightening. If he survived, he might soon rival the Buddha and become the third most feared person in the Dayu Dynasty!

Boom! Zhuhuo Shen's body was struck down by Li Hao's sword, crashing into the ground far away, carving out a blackened crater.

Li Hao swung his sword again, the Frost Sword, forged from cold iron, becoming scorching hot in the domain, with the nine sword spirits on it afraid to show themselves to avoid being burned.

Only the sword's own hardness allowed it to barely withstand the domain.

"Die for me!"

Zhuhuo Shen roared, emerging from the ground, not dodging Li Hao's attack, swinging his fire halberd in return.

Both were struck, Li Hao slicing off half of Zhuhuo Shen's body, while he lost an arm.

Zhuhuo Shen's flesh squirmed, rapidly regrowing under the power of Immortality, but he saw that Li Hao's arm had already regrown, charging at him again.

Li Hao's regeneration was several times faster! Zhuhuo Shen's face was struck by the sword light, knocking him down.

Li Hao attacked again, but a beam of firelight shot out from the crater, heading straight for him.

As Li Hao dispersed the firelight, he saw Zhuhuo Shen turning into a rainbow, fleeing into the distance.

Lady Yin had already retreated, disappearing.

Lu Yuan, seeing Zhuhuo Shen fleeing, cursed inwardly but turned to escape in another direction, fearing being targeted by Li Hao.

"Running away? Weren't you going to break the formation and kill me?!"

Li Hao chased after Zhuhuo Shen, shouting loudly.

Zhuhuo Shen, hearing this, turned red with anger, but was furious beyond measure.

He knew that without using his final trump card, he wasn't a match for this crazy youngster.

Let the other death spirits wear Li Hao down first!

"You will die sooner or later!"

Zhuhuo Shen suppressed his anger, his gaze icy. Suddenly, a holy heart talisman enveloped his body, speeding him up, and in a flash, he disappeared, flying out of Dragon City.

A half-step Grand Dao Realm demon king was chased away by Li Hao.

Seeing the opponent's talisman speeding him up, Li Hao immediately used a holy heart talisman, its light enveloping him, pursuing at full speed.

But just as he left the city, Li Hao felt a strange sense of danger, as if a few extremely cold gazes were watching him from behind the demonic horde outside the city.

There were likely several Grand Dao Realm demon kings! In this brief pause, Zhuhuo Shen had already flown a hundred miles into the dark forbidden zone outside the city, in just half a breath.

There, the rules were fatal to humans. Even though Li Hao could resist the domain rules now, he might not be able to defy the rules of the River of Death. Li Hao's face turned grim. At this point, he had little hope of escaping the River of Death, but even if he died here, he wanted to kill Zhuhuo Shen before he did.

He couldn't let the other escape and wreak havoc in Liangzhou.

However, this wish was now hard to fulfill.

Li Hao stared for a moment, then decisively turned and killed towards another part of the city.

Lu Yuan was flying towards the city outskirts at full speed. He was not one of the death spirits here, and even if they died, they wouldn't disappear, forever reincarnating in the River of Death until it was cleared. Only then would they be freed.

But if he died here, he would truly die.

However, it was easy to enter the city before, now it felt difficult to leave.

At the place he rushed out, several of Li family's old soldiers appeared, blocking his way.

Though their cultivation was not as high as Lu Yuan's, they were all fearless of death.

Lu Yuan roared in anger, releasing thunderbolts to push them back.

But at that moment, a beam of light whistled from behind.

Lu Yuan turned in horror, seeing black sword light tearing through the sky, slicing fifty miles!

The sword light severed Lu Yuan's head! The sword light, imbued with martial intent, destroyed his soul in an instant.

The huge dragon corpse fell from the sky.

This grand elder of the Longmen Sect in the Realm of Supreme Mastery couldn't withstand a peak strike from Li Hao!

Compared to outside the River of Death, this was mainly because Li Hao was now enhanced by so much power, including divine medicines and ancestral heroic spirits.

Most importantly, his body was tempered, comparable to a divine weapon forged nine times, nearing the limit of the Immortal Realm. The power he drew during Immortal Transformation was beyond imagination.

Back when he was in the Tianren Realm, with forty percent of Immortal Transformation, he could fight those in the Daoxin Realm and withstand attacks from those in the Nemesis Realm. Now, with the pulses of heaven and earth and nearing the extreme of the Third Immortal Realm, his power was even more terrifying.

Li Hao glanced at the severed dragon corpse, stepped forward, and used the True Demon of Myriad Blood technique to absorb its essence, further tempering his body.

As the dragon corpse dried up, Li Hao felt a bit of relief, at least one of the three demon kings had been dealt with.

He didn't look at the thousand-year-old dragon, renowned in Dayu, any longer, and headed towards the city walls.

When Li Hao arrived, he saw the city walls already overwhelmed by the demonic horde, with corpses of soldiers and demons mixed everywhere, blood flowing like rivers.

The women of the Li family, including Chen Hefang and Li Qingling, who had come to reinforce the city walls, were no longer in sight.

Li Hao spread his aura over the battlefield but found no trace of them.

This meant they had likely been overwhelmed by the demonic horde and were probably already devoured by some demon.

Li Hao took a deep breath, wielding the Frost Sword to kill into the demonic horde, moving through the battlefield.

Soon, Li Hao noticed that the auras of his other "brothers" had also disappeared.

The northern part of the city had fallen. Given their nature, they had likely perished in the demonic horde by now.

Li Hao sighed inwardly and continued to fight the demonic horde, trying to hold them back.

Fighting with all his might, there was a chance to hold out for one day.

With Li Hao joining the battle, the battlefield was immediately swept clean, sword energy tearing through the demonic horde.

The previously desperate situation was quickly stabilized by Li Hao.

The demonic horde continued to surge, and Li Hao fought desperately. Without a Grand Dao Realm demon, he didn't need to enter Immortal Transformation, relying on the recovery power of the pulses of heaven and earth to maintain a state close to the Immortal Realm, making prolonged battles manageable.

Many demon kings charged out of the horde, seemingly seeing hope for liberation, rushing towards Dragon City.

Li Hao fought fiercely, killing these demon kings, absorbing their blood and essence to strengthen his body, honing it to an extreme degree with various body refining techniques.

The battle raged on. After easing the pressure on the northern city, Li Hao moved towards the eastern city.

He was like a sword on the battlefield, moving back and forth, aiding various breaches.

But Dragon City was too vast. Even with Li Hao's help, many areas were still breached by the demonic horde, with citizens fleeing everywhere.

Li Hao fought fiercely while commanding the Li family army to withdraw their defenses, retreating to the inner circle of Dragon City.

With the formation gone, they could only rely on human walls to block the enemy.

Time passed swiftly.

As the battle reached its midpoint, Li Hao suddenly heard an angry roar.

A massive demon figure fell from the sky, crashing into the city.

Li Hao recognized it as the true form of the ragged-robed youth, who had been battling Li Tianzong without a clear winner. Now, his body was covered in cracks, and his spirit was dim.

Li Tianzong, shrouded in black mist, swooped down, enveloping the demon's body. Within the black mist came the chilling sounds of tearing flesh and writhing muscles.

Li Hao tried to probe with his spirit, but the black mist blocked him.

His actions seemed to disturb something, as the black mist suddenly churned and then contracted like a whale swallowing water, gathering into a single figure.

It was Li Tianzong.

His body surged with demonic energy, and his eyes turned blood-red, muttering something under his breath.

Li Hao, with his keen hearing, quickly understood his words.

"I must guard..."

"I must guard..."

Li Tianzong muttered incoherently.

Noticing Li Hao's gaze, he suddenly lifted his head, his eyes violent, lacking any trace of calmness or his previous gentle smile.

Li Hao felt a chill in his heart, as if he was being targeted.

He realized that Li Tianzong's current state was not right, likely the state Li Xiaoran had warned him about.

As Li Hao's expression grew solemn, Li Tianzong's blood-red eyes seemed to pause for a moment, reflecting Li Hao's image. After a while, a trace of clarity appeared in the violent killing intent.

"Run... to the city..."

Li Tianzong shouted loudly, but it seemed to trigger something. His expression quickly twisted, filled with pain.

He roared, his body suddenly shooting up, rushing towards the distant city outskirts, roaring, "Let me go!!"

The roar echoed above Dragon City, causing the lurking figures outside the city to become more agitated.

"What is going on?"

Zhuhuo Shen, hiding among the demons outside the city with his wife, was startled. They had concealed their presence, waiting for the death spirit demon kings to breach the city and exhaust Li Hao before making their move.

Seeing Li Tianzong, the guardian of Dragon City, charging out like a demon, they were taken aback by this unexpected development.

It was their first time in the River of Death, and many things were unknown. Typically, the first visit was just for gathering intelligence.

Zhuhuo Shen noticed that several lazy Dao Realm demon kings among the demons suddenly showed immense power, seeming eager to act.

"Is their target Li Tianzong?"

Zhuhuo Shen's expression changed, full of suspicion.

At that moment, a shocking scene unfolded before him.

Several Grand Dao Realm demon kings charged out of the demon horde, surrounding Li Tianzong.

But instead of attacking, they directly collided with Li Tianzong.

Li Tianzong's form was horrifying, growing massive like a demon, swallowing the demon kings whole.

"This..."

Zhuhuo Shen and Lady Yin's pupils contracted in shock as they watched.

Li Tianzong, after devouring several demon kings, emitted a terrifying demonic aura, like a ghostly demon god, his hair flying wildly, his body growing beast-like.

He turned around, stomping through the demon horde, and charged towards Dragon City: "All of you, die, die..."

His eyes shot out violent red light, attacking the city.

As his body underwent this transformation, Dragon City also underwent a significant change.

Li Hao saw Li Tianzong turning back to attack, his demonic aura overwhelming, more terrifying than the Grand Dao Realm, like a towering demon god.

As he passed through Dragon City, the soldiers who had been fighting fiercely against the demon horde suddenly stopped.

Then, they all emitted black gas, like demons or resurrected ghosts, joining the demon horde and turning to attack the city's civilians.

The civilians also began to emit black gas, transforming into demons, wreaking havoc everywhere.

Li Hao floated in mid-air, stunned by the sudden change.

Originally, the demon horde was just attacking the city, but now, even the city's soldiers and civilians had turned into demons! Was this the true difficulty of breaching this River of Death? Li Hao felt a chill all over, a bitter feeling.

The task of defending Dragon City for ten days likely faced such a transformation around the eighth or ninth day, or even the tenth day.

Even with everyone's cooperation to defend the city, ultimately, they had to face the transformation of all the city's soldiers and Li Tianzong.

Why was it like this?

Li Hao couldn't understand. Such difficulty, who could pass?

Not even the Grand Dao Realm could! Roar! Roar! At this moment, the city was filled with terrifying roars.

The soldiers who had been fighting demons now rode on their former enemies, destroying the city.

More demons, as if insane, charged towards Li Hao.

"Hao'er!"

In the distance, Li Xiaoran rushed over, equally shocked by the scene.

Now, the entire city was almost lost.

Only the Divine General's Mansion's formation remained intact.

Outside the mansion, it was covered with demons and transformed soldiers. The only ones still defending were Li Hao and Li Xiaoran.

With just the two of them, how could they face all this and defend Dragon City to pass the trial?

Li Hao wanted to laugh but couldn't. He knew the dangers of the Youdu-level River of Death, but this was his first direct experience.

No wonder Second Grandfather said even those in the Four Establishments Realm should not easily enter the Youdu-level River of Death, as it was hard to return...

"So this is how it is..."

Li Xiaoran approached Li Hao, looking at the demons surging from all sides, seeming to understand, his face filled with sorrow and bitterness.

"The final challenge of defending Dragon City is facing the resurrected obsession of Big Brother..."

"So, ultimately, we must defend against Big Brother..."

He felt sad, as the obsession had turned demonic.

In life, Big Brother's obsession was to defend Dragon City, but in death, it had become the greatest threat to defending Dragon City in the River of Death.

Watching Li Tianzong stride towards them like a demon god, Li Xiaoran cried out sorrowfully:

"Big Brother, wake up, we came to take you home!"

Li Tianzong's steps seemed to pause for a moment, but only for a brief instant before continuing forward.

On his shoulders, chest, and back, several sinister demon heads grew, mocking and sneering at Li Hao and Li Xiaoran:

"You are all ready to stay here as burial companions. Accompany your Big Brother, no one can leave."

"He will never wake up, all prepare to die!"

"No one can leave the River of Death, stay and accompany us!"

Amid their cold taunts, Li Tianzong's eyes blazed red, striding forward, muttering:

"I must defend Dragon City, no one can approach, I must lead all the soldiers back, I must take them home..."

"I want to... take them home!!"

His eyes blazed red, emitting a demonic aura far surpassing the Grand Dao Realm.

Li Xiaoran shouted in sorrow, "Big Brother, the battle for Dragon City ended long ago, only you didn't return, only you didn't return!!"

Boom! Li Tianzong suddenly raised his hand, a terrifying bolt of lightning shooting out.

Li Xiaoran couldn't react in time, only seeing a flash, but Li Hao perceived it, his face changing, hurriedly slashing with his sword.

The sword qi shattered the lightning's killing intent.

Li Hao shielded Li Xiaoran behind him, looking up at the hundred-zhang-tall demon god-like Li Tianzong, softly saying to Li Xiaoran behind him:

"Fourth Uncle, step back and let me try."

"Hao'er, what do you plan to do?"

Li Xiaoran looked at him, eyes full of sorrow, only despair remaining.

This despair wasn't for his own death here, but for Li Hao's death here and for Big Brother being forever trapped here without release.

If they fell here, who could still bring Big Brother back, return to the ancestral hall? Li Hao didn't speak, just silently watched Li Tianzong approaching, gripping his sword tighter.

Memories of the past two months flashed through his mind, along with the quiet words from the previous night.

"If only you were my son..."

Li Hao's aura surged wildly. At this moment, he completely opened his body's valves, allowing the power of heaven and earth to flow freely.

"Since you want to go home, let me pave the way for you."

"Let's see if my life can be exchanged for..."

Li Hao whispered, stepping forward.

This step led to death, also to his unprecedented peak, pushing Immortal Transformation to the extreme! He had no choice; without fighting, he would die. It was better to risk everything!