112. No Longer Bearing the Surname Li

Chapter 112: No Longer Bearing the Surname Li

The palm strike failed to land on Li Hao, and Li Tiangang's angry expression froze in an instant.

That sword strike seemed to scatter countless flower petals before his eyes, leaving him momentarily disoriented.

Flowers blossoming on the other shore.

The sword intent could actually affect him!

Li Tiangang's eyes showed shock, but he was, after all, at the peak of the Three Immortals realm. Even though his realm had fallen, his mental state was extremely strong, and he quickly regained his composure.

In a flash, a cold light suddenly stabbed toward him.

The shock in his eyes turned into towering rage in an instant.

"You ungrateful wretch!!"

Roaring, Li Tiangang's spirit, wielding a blade, swiftly descended to strike.

But Li Hao was closer, and his sword was faster! Li Tiangang only had time to slightly dodge, the sword edge grazing his shoulder, producing a metallic clang as it pierced a bloody hole through his flesh!

The Three Immortals realm consists of Undying, Unbroken, and Undecayed! Upon reaching the "Unbroken Realm," one's body becomes indestructible at will, impervious to blades and swords! It was only because Li Hao wielded a divine weapon that he could break Li Tiangang's body. Had it been a lower-grade weapon, it wouldn't have been able to harm him at all.

With such power, a Three Immortals expert could move unhindered among a myriad of troops, capable of beheading in the midst of thousands! In contrast, while a Grandmaster is formidable in single combat, they would be quickly shot down and torn to pieces by an army's encirclement.

Especially the army trained by the Divine General's Mansion, which no Grandmaster could withstand!

With his shoulder bleeding, Li Tiangang's eyes widened in rage and astonishment as he looked at Li Hao. But in a moment, he raised his hand, grabbing the sword edge before Li Hao could retract it.

Li Tiangang's combat experience was honed in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, his body reacting almost instinctively!

Despite his hand being slashed, he fiercely punched towards Li Hao's chest.

Li Hao quickly let go of the sword, but instead of retreating, he clenched his fist with the hand that had held the sword, roaring as he unleashed the Half-step Invincible Punch!

This punch broke the rules of the Half-step Invincible Punch. He instantly fused it with a sword intent, using his arm as a sword, delivering a punch-sword hybrid strike! The domineering punch intent and the sharp sword intent clashed against Li Tiangang's rough palm, which was like a fan, trying to crush Li Hao. But the sword intent in the punch penetrated his bones, cracking his arm and forcing him to retreat.

With one blow, both were forced back.

"Grandmaster Realm!"

Li Tiangang looked at Li Hao in shock, realizing that in that brief moment, Li Hao had kicked open the Heavenly Gate, stepping into the Grandmaster realm!

His moves were no longer standard, no longer bound, and became unpredictable.

Li Hao's eyes were cold as he glanced at his sword. As a swordsman, losing grip of one's sword was supposed to be shameful. Another swordsman would likely have chosen to take Li Tiangang's palm head-on, preferring serious injury over letting go of their sword.

But he had never had the consciousness of a swordsman since childhood.

Be it a sword or a fist, he would use whatever could attack.

Weapons are external; the self is the core.

With these thoughts, Li Hao's mind became clearer and calmer. Though he had just entered the Grandmaster realm, having broken through in mind, he had yet to establish his Grandmaster's path.

At this moment, however, he was already touching upon it.

There are no rules, no boundaries in this world, only because of people do rules exist.

But in this world?

The sun, moon, stars, rivers, flowers, trees—they are all different, yet they coexist harmoniously, complementing each other.

True integration is not about forcing things together but about fitting naturally where one lacks and another abounds.

Not one-sided desires! The half-step his second uncle spoke of might be precisely this.

Achieving one's own half-step is enough!!

A strong light suddenly burst from Li Hao's eyes as countless martial arts techniques converged in his mind.

"All the phenomena of heaven and earth, why should I be confined?"

"There are countless rivers in the world, but ultimately... all streams lead to one source!!"

Li Hao found his path, though he had only seen the first step.

But at this moment, he knew the direction he should take!

A mighty, magnificent aura condensed from his body. Though he held no sword, he could release sword qi. Without a divine weapon's augmentation, however, he couldn't unleash his strongest strikes.

So, Li Hao chose his fists.

His fists were also at the sixth level, no less powerful than his sword!

Looking at those angry, shocked eyes, Li Hao felt an urge to shatter them with his fists. He roared to the sky, the ground beneath his feet cracking inch by inch, his terrifying aura causing the surrounding ground to collapse. Numerous martial arts converged in his fists.

His body charged forth, fists like mountains and rivers!

This punch's prototype still resembled the Half-step Invincible Punch but only in appearance.

"You are audacious beyond measure!!"

Li Tiangang snapped back, his eyebrows seemingly igniting with divine flames: "I have been lenient, yet you dare remain obstinate!!"

A terrifying aura surged from his body, the might of the Three Immortals exploding. At the same time, he suppressed his severe injuries, briefly activating the power of the Undecayed Realm.

His heavily injured body showed signs of brief recovery, his realm appearing to climb! Such actions would leave greater damage afterward, but Li Hao's current aura left him no choice.

He had to crush this obstinate soul, even if it was a Grandmaster!

"Tiangang!!" The figures of Li Qingzheng and others arrived. Seeing the scene, they couldn't help but shout in grief and anger.

Li Tiangang's self-created top-tier palm technique, integrating numerous martial arts and understanding their principles, was unleashed like a grand blazing sun.

Boundless golden light shone, overshadowing the nearby streets.

Li Hao's eyes were blood-red, his internal techniques rapidly turning, activating the Seven Star Lighting's characteristic. Under its operation, his power doubled! Despite the side effects and post-battle exhaustion, he couldn't care less now.

"Ahhhhh!!!"

Li Hao, wild with rage, unleashed dazzling true power. The fusion of his divine power, the support of his control power, all gathered in this punch!

He charged like a moth to a flame towards the golden palm carrying a killing aura.

Then, he was engulfed by the divine light.

With a thunderous boom, the earth seemed to quake.

Cracks appeared on the street, the violent momentum tearing the surrounding houses apart.

Li Qingzheng hastily intervened, moving the people inside those houses to safety.

The golden divine palm suddenly disintegrated and exploded.

The onlookers strained their eyes. Except for Li Qingzheng, Li Xuanli, and Li Fenghua, no one could intervene—unless it was Lin Wujing.

But he merely observed like a spectator, his eyes showing shock and deep contemplation.

As the golden light of the divine palm shattered, Li Tiangang couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood. The violent fist force had torn his robe apart, leaving only his pants, revealing his muscular upper body.

Countless scars, like wriggling worms, covered his body—marks of numerous battles at the frontier.

Even at the Three Immortals realm, with an indestructible body, he still accumulated such injuries, showing the ferocity of his fourteen years of warfare and the countless battles he had endured!

Compared to his torn robe, another figure, Li Hao, was blasted away like a cannonball.

The punch that had gathered all his strength ultimately failed to reach Li Tiangang, being shattered before it could get close.

Li Hao's body tumbled several hundred meters before stopping. His eyes showed shock. Though he had just entered the Grandmaster realm without enough time to settle and hastily integrated all his techniques, unable to reach the peak, that punch was his strongest possible strike!

In the end, he was still defeated! The difference in realms, coupled with Li Tiangang being an extraordinary prodigy, was too great! Li Hao turned back, seeing the figure burning with terrifying killing intent, stepping closer like a god emerging from flames!

The shadow of death loomed. Gritting his teeth, Li Hao turned to crawl away, then used his control power to fly off into the distance!

"Get down here!!"

Li Tiangang roared.

His aura surged, barely rising to the mid-level of the Three Immortals.

Like a thunderous force, his power struck down from above, knocking Li Hao out of the sky, his spine feeling shattered.

Li Hao crashed to the ground but did not give up. Crawling out of the crater, he rushed away again.

But Li Tiangang's figure appeared in an instant, striking directly.

Li Hao was sent flying, his ribs breaking, shattering inch by inch, his organs damaged, blood spurting like it was being squeezed out, also flowing from his orifices.

His eyes, ears, and nose all bled, making him look pitiful and horrifying.

"Killing your brother and father, are you truly seeking to become a demon?!"

Li Tiangang's eyes were cold.

Li Hao struggled to support himself, a will inside him screaming that he must not fall, must not fall in front of this man!

Seeing those stubborn eyes, Li Tiangang's anger boiled over: "No matter how talented you are, don't forget your surname, you are a Li!"

"You are a member of the Li family!"

"Every member of the Li family dedicates their life to the family. What have you done for the family?"

"Every meal you eat, every grain of rice, every servant at your beck and call, all of it is the result of the Li family's hard-earned wealth and honor!"

"It was bought with the blood of warriors at the frontier, with the lives of your uncles, from the first to the fourth… They exchanged their lives for it!"

Li Tiangang approached Li Hao step by step, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light: "You think you have grievances, true, I haven't been there for you, I've wronged you, but have you lacked anything in your life?"

"Do you know how many sons and daughters were born after their parents died in battle? Should they feel wronged too?!"

"You said you consumed poison pills, even if that's true, so what?!"

"You didn't die, you're still alive, with such talent, why does it matter if you lack some divine blood?"

"You could have come to me, I would have sought justice for you, but you wanted to kill the widow and her child? Have you thought about your deceased second uncle, can his spirit rest in peace?!"

Finally, Li Tiangang stood before Li Hao, looking down at the battered boy:

"Tell me, what gives you the right to act so recklessly?!"

"Is it the power you cultivated with the Li family's resources?!"

Li Hao listened to the angry roars. He tried to stop the blood gushing from his mouth and the crushed organs squeezed by his broken ribs.

But the more he tried to stop it, the more it flowed.

He spat out the shattered pieces of his organs, looking up at Li Tiangang with a smile and a sneer:

"What's the point of all this talk? Either kill me or know that from now on, I won't bear the surname Li anymore!"

When he heard Li Tiangang say, "Even if it's true, so what?" Li Hao no longer wanted to waste another word with him!

He didn't even bother to say that he hadn't enjoyed any cultivation resources aside from food and clothing!

But why explain? To the person in front of him, explanations were useless!

At this moment, he even felt a strange sense of relief, even gratitude towards his second aunt, whom he had resented for over a decade!

Thank you for destroying the divine blood in my body!

He now deeply loathed and detested the blood of the man standing before him flowing through his veins!