Chapter 185: Li Tiangang's Call for Help

Li Xuanli was stunned. The battle flag in Li Hao's hand intimidated the multitude of demons, its might surpassing his imagination. He couldn't understand how it was possible.

Li Qingling and Li Xueyun, standing beside him, were equally bewildered and perplexed. Even the royal battle flags didn't seem to exude such dominance.

Was the name they heard just now referring to their nephew?

"Kill!"

"If that brat doesn't show himself, kill them all and force him out!"

As Li Hao remained out of sight, the five Demon Kings felt provoked. The Abyss Dragon Demon King took the lead and charged towards Qianji Daoist.

The Giant Spider Demon King, on their side, spat spider-swords at Li Xuanli and his group.

Li Xuanli's expression changed, and he tensed up. While the battle flag had startled the Demon Kings, it was only a momentary scare. Without Li Hao and the person beside him, who seemed to be at the Four Establishment Realm, their situation was still dire.

"Be careful!"

Li Hongzhuang's eyes narrowed as she warned in a low voice, "Protect yourselves at all costs!"

As she finished speaking, she suddenly pulled out numerous battle flags from behind her and threw one of them forward.

"Watch out!" White Shijun exclaimed upon seeing the flying battle flag.

The Giant Spider Demon King reacted a little slower, intending to dodge, but the battle flag, under Li Hongzhuang's manipulation, pursued it relentlessly.

The Giant Spider Demon King felt ashamed and angry as it retreated. How could a mere battle flag force a mighty Demon King like itself to evade? It shot a spider-sword through the air, slicing the flag in two.

The battle flag ruptured, and the energy mark sealed within was released.

A crisp sound rang out, and a scarlet golden sword qi soared into the sky, charging towards the nearby Giant Spider Demon King.

The sword qi was overwhelming, creating a mighty uproar as it cleaved towards the Giant Spider Demon King.

"Damn it!"

The Giant Spider Demon King's pupils contracted, and it was taken aback by the power of the sword formation sealed within the battle flag, a fact it had been aware of but had never personally experienced.

The nearby Demon King, whose body resembled a monstrous worm, quickly came forward to help, but he was extremely cautious and dared not damage the battle flags.

Li Hongzhuang, using her object manipulation abilities, tore the battle flags in mid-air, causing two more sword auras to burst forth.

"Damn you!" The worm-like Demon King roared in anger and spat out blood-red swords that spun rapidly, forming a blood-red sea as a barrier.

Li Hongzhuang seized the opportunity to bring Li Xuanli and the two elders with her as they rushed towards the defensive line's formation.

Qianji Daoist finally caught a break. He calmed his mind and realized that the sword qi contained within the battle flag was comparable to a full-force attack from a Dao Heart Realm cultivator. With Li Hongzhuang carrying so many flags on her back, they were indeed a formidable weapon.

Even against the five Demon Kings, they could hold their ground for a moment.

"Don't let them escape!"

The Demon Kings launched a series of attacks, stirring up a storm of demonic energy and dust that blocked their path. The ground tore open, and a swamp dragon-like mud claw reached out to strike them.

Boom!

Qianji Daoist pierced the mud claw with his Nine-Section Whip, forcefully breaking through the siege while bearing the injuries he had sustained.

Li Hongzhuang saw the pursuing Demon Kings and hastily offered several more battle flags, tearing them in mid-air. The erupting sword auras were so powerful that even her divine sense was shaken.

The sweeping sword auras indiscriminately attacked, forcing the Demon Kings to retreat.

The dissipated sword qi transformed into countless sword shadows that enveloped the Demon Kings.

"Don't let them get away!" The Giant Spider Demon King shouted as he saw them approaching the formation. Ignoring the sword shadows, he released a large amount of spider silk to fixate on the air in front of them, intending to capture them in an instant.

However, his body was then subjected to countless sword shadows.

He had already noticed that the offensive power of these sword shadows had diminished, and even if they caused him harm, it would only result in some pain.

But suddenly, one of the sword auras pierced his body, seemingly penetrating deep within.

Its strength rapidly diminished, and its spirit soul seemed to be sucked away, causing its power, including its vitality, to fade quickly.

"What's happening...?"

The Giant Spider Demon King was horrified as it frantically scanned its body with its myriad spider eyes. Although it had endured countless sword shadows, it hadn't suffered much damage, and in the end, it was only struck by the final blow that severed two of its spider legs.

But... its consciousness was fading.

Thud!

The Giant Spider Demon King fell straight down, crashing to the ground as its spirit soul completely vanished.

Being only at the Dao Heart Realm, it did not have a second life.

This bizarre turn of events caused the pursuing Demon Kings to halt in their tracks, their eyes widening in shock as they stared at the fallen Giant Spider Demon King.

If they hadn't witnessed the disappearance of its life force, they would have thought their companion had simply dozed off.

How could he be sleeping so peacefully?

"What happened?"

"Is he dead?"

"He barely received any attacks, how could he be dead?"

The Demon Kings were filled with shock and terror.

White Shijun's pupils narrowed as he recalled the time he had sacrificed his chance at reversing his fate to escape.

That bizarre feeling of impending death approaching.

He looked at the countless sword shadows filling the sky and suddenly realized the truth, shouting, "Don't try to block these sword shadows with your physical bodies!"

"Just touching them might kill you!!"

Hearing his warning, the other three Demon Kings were astonished.

Their physical bodies couldn't withstand these sword shadows? These sword shadows weren't strong, so could there be a hidden killing move or poison within them?

Although they were confused, the memory of the Giant Spider Demon King's death, which seemed to be connected to enduring these sword shadows, gave them pause.

They immediately defended themselves with all their might, using their demonic arts and weapons to protect themselves.

When in doubt, it was always better to err on the side of caution.

The death of the Giant Spider Demon King delayed the pursuit of the Demon Kings. At that moment, the commander of Liangzhou, standing on the city wall, saw Li Hongzhuang and the others rushing over. He quickly shouted to the nearby generals to borrow their formation tokens.

Once he obtained the tokens, he rushed out of the formation and handed them to Li Hongzhuang's group, bringing them safely inside.

Only when they entered the formation did Li Hongzhuang, Li Xuanli, and the others finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Li Xuanli turned back and saw his army rushing towards the formation, but the Demon Kings, in their anger, lashed out at the Xuanzi Army. Their attacks resembled towering mountains pressing down, and under the relentless assault of the Demon Kings, the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Xuanzi Army were powerless to resist, toppling like dominoes as countless deaths occurred in an instant.

Li Xuanli's eyes reddened, and he clenched his fists tightly.

"Father."

Li Wushuang ran over, her face still streaked with tear stains.

Li Xuanli glanced at her, relieved to see that she was unharmed, but his expression remained numb and filled with grief as he watched the Xuanzi Army continuously fall before the Demon Kings.

Li Hongzhuang also witnessed the tragic scene and stepped forward, standing atop the city wall. She unleashed three more military flags, providing cover for the Xuanzi Army.

However, the Demon Kings had learned from their previous encounter and rushed directly at the Xuanzi Army, wanting to test if the military flags would indeed differentiate between demons and humans, as they claimed.

Understanding their cunning, Li Hongzhuang's heart sank, but she refrained from tearing the military flags, as that would also inflict heavy casualties on the Xuanzi Army.

Witnessing this situation, the Demon Kings realized the flaw in the military flag sword formation and coldly smiled, charging into the Xuanzi camp and continuing their slaughter.

Screams of agony filled the air as the Demon Kings indiscriminately killed outside the city walls.

But those on the city walls could only watch helplessly, unable to provide any assistance.

The Demon Kings rampaged through the Xuanzi Army, and those on the city walls dared not attack from a distance, as their assaults were nothing more than a mild annoyance to the Demon Kings.

Soon, as the numbers dwindled, the Xuanzi Army was slaughtered even faster, leaving behind only a field of corpses.

Despite their valiant efforts and the burning of their spirit souls, the Xuanzi Army could not withstand the onslaught, and with the Demon Kings weaving through their ranks, their very shadows could not be caught.

Looking at the gruesome battlefield soaked in blood, the soldiers on the city walls breathed heavily, their fists tight around their weapons, their hearts filled with shame, fury, and sorrow.

At that moment, after the Demon Kings had vented their rage upon the Xuanzi Army, Li Hongzhuang angrily detonated the three military flags, causing three sword auras to surge forth, chasing after the four Demon Kings.

The faces of the Demon Kings twisted in surprise, and they quickly retreated, but the sword auras relentlessly pursued them, shattering their demonic arts. The sword auras were incredibly powerful and unstoppable, injuring and forcing two of the Demon Kings to retreat.

White Shijun, with a sword aura locked onto him, felt his heart climb into his throat as he fled towards the distant horizon at full speed, not daring to face the sword aura head-on.

"They belong to Hao'er, Tian Gang's son," Li Hongzhuang replied, addressing her aunt with respect.

"The same Hao who surpassed Xiao Jiu in talent?" Li Qingling's eyes widened in surprise. "Has he gained such a formidable reputation?"

Li Hongzhuang nodded, a sense of pride mixing with her worry. The name of Li Hao had spread throughout the land, and his fame had even reached her aunts, who lived far from Qingzhou. It was a name that demanded attention.

"Indeed. That must be the famous General Hao Tian," the Liangzhou Commander muttered to himself, his earlier doubts about the Li family's management of Tianmen Pass now seeming foolish.

Li Wushuang, her eyes clouded with confusion, wondered why she was falling further behind her cousin despite her best efforts. When had the distance between them grown so vast?

The last time they had been close was during that fateful confrontation beneath the tree...

"Tian Gang truly has an exceptional son," Li Qingling marveled, her eyes taking in the dozens of battle flags on Li Hongzhuang's back. "These demons seem to recognize the power of these flags. Hao'er's reputation far surpasses that of Xiao Jiu in his time."

"Indeed," Li Xueyun agreed, a hint of pride in her voice.

The pain of Li Junye's death still lingered in the hearts of the Li family, but this young man had risen like a shining star, eclipsing even that sorrow with his brilliance.

Suddenly, a scout came rushing in, his face pale as he reported to the Liangzhou Commander, "We've just received a distress signal from the east!"

"The east?" The Commander's face darkened as he exchanged glances with Li Xuanli, who had been staring blankly at the city walls.

Li Xuanli straightened, his injuries slowly healing during the brief respite. The combination of his medication and natural regenerative abilities was gradually mending his wounds.

"We're facing five Demon Kings here. I'm sure there are more in the east, where Duke Xingwu is stationed," the Commander said, his expression grim.

Li Xuanli's face twisted with concern. If there were five Demon Kings here, the east might be facing an even greater threat.

"Is it Seventh Brother sending the signal?" Li Hongzhuang asked, her face paling as well. "I'll go to his aid!"

"I'll come with you," Li Qingling said, her voice determined. "I still have some fighting ability left."

"Me too," Li Xueyun added. "I haven't used my Undying Power yet."

"Aunts, you should stay here," Li Hongzhuang said, shaking her head. "If the Demon Kings pursue us, you won't be able to help. With Hao'er's battle flags, I can hold them off and keep them at bay."

Without further delay, she took two formation tokens and soared into the sky.