256
Chapter 256: Summoning with Ancestor's Blood
The battlefield, once ablaze with fierce combat, was extinguished by the torrential rain of sword energy.
The relentless downpour severed the advancing demon horde. Reinforcements could not keep up, and the sword energy from the city walls stabilized the previously retreating and struggling defense line. The Xia family's banner once again flew over the blood-soaked walls.
All the soldiers felt a sudden relief as the demons were slaughtered, and no more continued their assault. They stood in stunned disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
"What is this…"
"Who is controlling the sword energy? Who is saving us?!"
"Are we… saved?"
All the military forces, including the temporarily conscripted martial sects, were dumbfounded, staring out at the battlefield.
The battlefield outside had turned into a hellish landscape. Countless swords pierced the ground, and the demons fell silent. Even the powerful three-undying demons, who tried to escape, soon found themselves ensnared by the endless sword rain and fell lifeless to the ground.
"Who is that…"
In the center of the defense line, the commanding general of the second defense line, Xia Changkong, looked up in shock.
Above the river of sword energy sat a young figure on the back of a fiery demon beast. The energy around the youth was like a white mist, visibly flowing into the sword energy above, forming an endless stream of sword rain.
Beside the youth stood their family's head, Xia Linglong, and his brother.
"Family Head, Yuanwu…"
Xia Changkong was stunned. The family head had personally come to the battlefield, but where was the Gluttony Valley Lord? He turned to look towards the back of the demon horde, but saw no activity.
On the battlefield, only a few Gluttony Valley elders were desperately fleeing, pursued by giant sword energy dragons. One elder, already injured, attempted to withstand the sword energy with his body, but quickly fell like a soulless husk.
The demons of Gluttony Valley, known for their savage strength, found their bodies were no match for the 1% fatal strike attribute, rendering them as vulnerable as any other demon.
Li Hao looked at the falling demon figures with a calm expression, waiting until the battlefield was nearly silent before he withdrew the sword rain.
"Senior, I leave the remaining stragglers to you. I need to go," Li Hao said to Xia Linglong and Xia Yuanwu.
They snapped out of their shock. In just a few moments, millions of demons had perished!
It was terrifying!
This was the power of a True Peace Dao realm, beyond their imagination.
"Rest assured, Haotian General. We will clean up and immediately send troops to reinforce Qingzhou!" Xia Linglong quickly said.
Initially, she intended to repay a favor by sending troops, but now she realized that, in the presence of someone like Li Hao, their troops were just a means to rescue the scattered towns and villages in Qingzhou.
Li Hao nodded, accepting their goodwill.
He gently patted Zhu Huo Shen's head, signaling it. Zhu Huo Shen's fiery form roared to life, and with powerful strides, it tore through the battlefield's sky, speeding away.
On the defensive line, generals, clan leaders, and martial sect masters all looked up at the departing figure on the fiery demon beast, imprinting this moment into their memories.
They did not know who the young man was, but they knew the Xia family would provide answers.
...
Qingzhou, Qingzhou City.
The once prosperous Qingzhou City was now under martial law. Civilians were confined indoors, and the streets were cleared to allow rapid military movement.
On the four city walls, golden arrays shimmered, facing the gathering demon horde outside.
On the walls, Li family soldiers and Qingzhou defenders stood with grim expressions.
Days of relentless battle had left them exhausted, but none dared relax.
Three days ago, intelligence gathered through Li family secret techniques revealed that most of Qingzhou had fallen.
Over a hundred cities were destroyed, occupied by demons. Qingzhou, the Li family's headquarters, faced unprecedented devastation.
Some still doubted the military reports until waves of refugees from other towns and villages confirmed the dire situation. The cities of Qingzhou had lost their clear understanding of the demon threat after centuries of peace.
Occasional demon captures by the Demon Suppression Department, paraded through the streets, had once attracted crowds of curious onlookers. Now, the demon tide had cast a shadow of fear over every city, each on high alert.
Compared to the besieged Qingzhou, the city itself was on the brink of collapse.
On the city walls, Li Muxiu and Li Xiaoran stood guard, their hair graying. They looked significantly older, faces marked by deep wrinkles.
The past months had dealt them heavy blows.
Over a month ago, after Li Tianzong's spirit dissipated, they went to the Underworld River but refrained from attacking, choosing instead to investigate secretly. They discovered that the demon forces gathered outside the river exceeded their expectations.
Longmen and the Sacred Palace had mobilized the majority of their forces, with their leaders personally overseeing the operation to kill Li Hao.
They did not act hastily and instead informed the Emperor, leading to a joint operation by the Li family and the royal army to attack Longmen's stronghold.
After half a month, they destroyed Longmen's base, enraging the Longmen leader, who advanced their plans to attack Qingzhou City.
However, knowing Li Hao had left the Underworld River, Li Xiaoran and Li Muxiu anticipated the attack and returned to Qingzhou early, fortifying the city. This thwarted the sudden assault by Longmen and Sacred Palace, exposing their intentions.
After the failed attacks on Liangzhou and the ambush on Qingzhou City, Longmen and Sacred Palace decided to launch a full-scale invasion.
This prolonged conflict cost countless lives, and Qingzhou was on the verge of collapse.
The royal reinforcements were ambushed by another demon force, failing to reach Qingzhou and suffering heavy losses.
The besieging demons included more than just Sacred Palace and Longmen. Apart from the demons still guarding the Underworld River, awaiting their leader's return, other top demon forces joined the assault.
When they sought aid from the Xia family in Youzhou, they learned of the Gluttony Valley attack, clearly intended to pin down the Xia family. Though the five God General families often competed, they aided each other in times of crisis, and the Xia family was the nearest to the Li family.
The Gluttony Valley attack left the Xia family unable to spare forces to aid Qingzhou, cutting off another hope.
Recent appeals for help from Qingzhou went unanswered, as if the city was isolated by demons.
This time, the demon forces gathered were even greater than in Liangzhou, determined to crush Qingzhou entirely.
From the border to the retreat, losing ground and shedding armor, they now defended Qingzhou City, their last stronghold.
If they lost this, only the God General Mansion remained, a lone boat in a vast ocean, ready to be overturned.
Li Xiaoran's expression was cold. After a month of brutal fighting, both he and Li Muxiu had narrowly escaped death.
The Longmen leader, originally recorded as half-step Dao realm, had advanced to True Peace Dao realm.
The Sacred Palace leader, originally True Peace Dao realm, had been injured by the Green King in Yanbei, her realm fallen, barely half-step Dao realm.
Had Li Muxiu, with his half-step invincible fist and half-step Dao domain, not held them off, they would have perished long ago, and Qingzhou would have fallen.
But now, they faced a dire situation.
"Their target is our Li family. They want to erase the God General Mansion!"
After a month of fighting, Li Xiaoran saw the demons' intent: to annihilate the Li family, the first step in their conquest of the Great Yu Empire.
This scheme had likely been brewing for decades, from the successive deaths of the Nine Sons to frequent demon attacks on Li family territories. Now it was clear, it was all part of a plan.
They sought to sever the Li family's bloodline, ensuring no successors. If given more decades, the main bloodline would dwindle, making future True Dragons inferior to other God General families.
That would be the perfect time to attack the Li family.
But now, their plan seemed accelerated.
Li Muxiu's eyes were deep, slowly regulating his breath. Earlier, he had fought the Sacred Palace leader outside the array, driving her back but consuming much of his energy.
The two leaders alternated attacks, wearing him down.
"Still no word from Wuliang Mountain?"
Li Muxiu looked west, his face dark. The demon tide covering the hills gave immense pressure to the city's defenders, but his gaze remained steady, looking past the demons to the distant Wuliang Mountain.
The Li family's relationship with Wuliang Mountain was close, offering incense regularly. Li Qianfeng was the Buddha Lord's direct disciple.
But appeals for help from Wuliang Mountain went unanswered.
"Notify Tiangang. I can't hold on much longer. The Li family faces its final hour. It's time to call them back."
Li Muxiu withdrew his gaze, knowing Wuliang Mountain couldn't be relied upon. He took a deep breath, his eyes resolute.
Li Xiaoran hesitated, his face changing before he fell silent.
He knew, at this point, it was time for the Li family's last stand.
It was time for the scattered bloodlines to return and uphold the glory and legacy of the thousand-year God General Mansion.
If the ancestral shrine fell, scattered bloodlines meant nothing.
A thousand-year legacy was not just bloodlines but foundation. If that foundation crumbled, the bloodline couldn't revive it.
Success often depended on timing and opportunity, not easily recreated.
"I understand."
Li Xiaoran glanced at his elder brother, nodded slightly, then rushed into the city's God General Mansion.
Soon, he descended into the mansion's inner courtyard.
Gathered in the hall were many figures. At the head was the imposing Li Tiangang.
To his right sat his wife, Ji Qingqing, in armor.
Aside from them, other wives, He Jianlan, Li Xuanli, and Gao Qingqing, were also present.
Unlike their usual elegant attire, they were now armored, faces stern, ready for battle.
"No response from Wuliang Mountain…"
"Nor from the Sword Sage of the southern Sword Manor…"
The hall was filled with a cold, somber atmosphere.
The Li family's connections seemed severed, no messages received.
Though many who had benefited from the Li family came to help, few were strong enough. They needed powerful allies to relieve Li Muxiu.
Li Muxiu, facing two leaders, one a True Peace Dao realm, was struggling and could fall any moment.
With a whoosh, Li Xiaoran entered the hall, not pausing, and stepped inside, his gaze fixed on Li Tiangang.
"Brother says to prepare the ritual, using ancestor's blood to summon all Li family bloodlines."
"This battle will determine our survival. If we fail, the Li family will be extinct!"
His eyes were deep and cold. "This is our last stand. Brother can't hold on much longer!"
The hall fell silent. No one was shocked, just filled with sorrow.
They knew this moment would come.
With the ancestral blood, all Li family bloodlines would feel the call, a desperate measure for survival.