Chapter 253: His Name

Just as the elderly Xia general was about to turn back, he suddenly heard the sound of shattering bones and flesh, which startled him. He turned his head and beheld a horrifying scene.

The powerful demon, who had just been arrogant and carefree, now seemed to have his physical body squeezed and burst apart, without even a chance to reveal its true form.

From within the exploding flesh and blood, a figure struggled to burst out, but as soon as it flew out, it was subjected to extreme compression and disappeared with a mournful cry, its soul and body utterly destroyed.

That heart-wrenching, piercing scream caused the numerous Xia soldiers on the head of Licheng City to stiffen and gape in astonishment at the bizarre scene.

On the official road below the city wall, a young man rode his horse briskly, gazing at the tightly closed city gate. He looked up and called out, "Old sir, could you ask them to open the city gate, please?"

The young man's shout at the city gate snapped the elderly Xia general back to his senses, and he looked down, his face filled with dread.

The young man sat on his horse, his countenance calm and unperturbed. Although he wore plain hemp clothing, his features were exquisite, like flowing clouds in a painting, and he possessed a unique aura that was unforgettable. He exuded an air of tranquility and ease.

The general's gaze followed behind the young man, and he immediately noticed the official road, already stained with the blood of noble sons and daughters, and the tide of demons lurking on both sides—all of them lying motionless, their breath extinguished.

"You..."

The elderly Xia general's pupils contracted, and he stared at the young man in shock. At that moment, the youth seemed even more terrifying than the demons.

On the wall, as the three undying realm great demons mysteriously perished, several other Xia generals rushed over in astonishment to the formation. When they saw the situation outside the city, they spotted only a young man riding a horse.

"Did you kill that demon?"

The elderly Xia general dared not hover in the air and quickly landed in front of the young man. If the great demon had been slain by this youth, then his strength was truly terrifying, and he must be at the Four Establishments realm.

And to be so young and yet comparable to the Four Establishments realm, he could only think of one name.

The one from Liangzhou.

"Mhm."

Li Hao nodded slightly; there was no need to hide such a minor matter:

"I heard that the Xia family was in trouble, and as I happened to be passing by, I took care of it for you."

Seeing the young man admit it, the elderly Xia general's pupils narrowed, and he asked in a trembling voice, "You... are you that Hao Tian, Young General?"

His face was filled with astonishment and shock, and soon he became agitated.

The deeds of Liangzhou had already spread far and wide. Although it was not under the jurisdiction of the Xia family, the young man's fame had circulated among the various armies of the Ten Nine Provinces.

Single-handedly suppressing demons, rescuing Liangzhou from complete border collapse—this act was like that of a young general who had appeared out of thin air more than a decade ago, shining brilliantly like a star.

Moreover, as the young man could slay a Demon King, the crisis in Liyang City was now resolved!

Seeing Li Hao's smile, the elderly Xia general suddenly came to his senses, realizing that he had been rude, and quickly bowed, "I have seen Duke Hao Tian!"

Previously, they had always referred to him as "Young General," purely because they had heard the rumors so often that it had become a habit.

But ever since Liangzhou turned from peril to safety, there had been much debate in the court, and the rewards had already been decided.

After all, it had been two months since that great battle ended.

The rewards were sent to Qingzhou, to that illustrious God General's Mansion, to be received on his behalf, and the title had been proclaimed throughout the world from the imperial city.

Bestowed the title of Third-Rank Duke!

Skipping the rank of marquis, he went directly from count to Grand Yu Duke, and in terms of rank alone, he already stood above countless powerful ministers. His status even required ordinary imperial sons to treat him with courtesy.

In addition to the elevation of his title, his position had also been promoted from Young General to Grand Marshal of Liangzhou, a substantial official position ranked as the highest first-rank!

At the pinnacle of power, on par with the Prime Minister, within the entire Divine Dynasty, apart from a handful of individuals, there was currently no one who could clearly outrank this young man in terms of official position.

And in terms of title and status, even among the older generation of the Five Great God General Mansions, only a few could match him.

"Duke?"

Li Hao was slightly surprised, as he had expected a reward but didn't anticipate skipping the rank of marquis.

Initially, that "Ninth Uncle" had rescued Cangzhou, and in terms of merit, it was not inferior to his own achievement. It was just that the demonic forces that plagued Cangzhou at the time were not as numerous or strong, but there was the manipulation of a vassal state behind it, which led to his pursuit of the enemy to the royal court beyond the pass and ultimately resulted in his fall.

"No need for formalities."

Seeing that the other party remained bent over in a bow, Li Hao promptly spoke up.

The elderly Xia general raised his head and said excitedly, "Duke, now that you are here, the people of Liyang City are saved. Thank you for your help. On behalf of the people of Liyang City, I thank you for your great kindness, Duke!"

After finishing, he prepared to kneel.

Previously, Liyang City had been besieged for many days, and the people were in a state of panic. Everyone in the city had already sensed the impending slaughter by the demons, but now, it was like the clouds had parted, and the gloom had suddenly vanished.

Li Hao raised his hand to support him, saying, "It was just something I did in passing, so there's no need to be so polite. If you really want to thank me, see if there are any famous paintings or chess manuals in your city and collect them for me."

The elderly Xia general was taken aback but had also heard that the young man was proficient not only in martial arts but also in chess, painting, calligraphy, and music. He was accomplished in both literary and military arts, which prompted a sigh of admiration from the general, who quickly smiled and said, "Of course, we have everything. I'll have someone look for them right away."

As he spoke, he ordered the city gate to be opened and invited Li Hao in respectfully.

At the same time, several other young generals rushed over.

The elderly Xia general quickly informed them about the demons being slain outside the city and that it was the doing of the young man before them. When they learned of Li Hao's identity, they were all stunned, gazing at him in shock.

"It's really him?"

Among the young generals, a female general stared at Li Hao, her thoughts suddenly flashing back to the official road in Qizhou two years ago.

Back then, the young man sitting in the carriage had left a deep impression on her—a fourteen-year-old defending a city.

Soon after, she heard more about the young man, his name shaking Qingzhou.

And later, at the age of fifteen, he rescued Liangzhou, becoming famous throughout the world.

"This is Xia Qingshu, our Xia family's pride."

"This is Xia Yuzheng..."

The elderly Xia general quickly introduced the several young Xia generals to Li Hao, hoping to use this opportunity to forge a connection with him.

Although they were aware of Li Hao's defection from the Li family, his accomplishments now meant that the God General's Mansion no longer needed to establish his prestige. He was already renowned in his own right.

After all, they were the pride of the Xia family, and now they had to bow their heads to a youth who was of the same generation as them, and even younger in some cases. They felt as if the glory of the Xia family on their backs was also bowing down with them.

However, although the Five Great God General Mansions were stationed in different directions, their official positions and titles were unified throughout the dynasty. Wherever Li Hao went with his current status, he would be treated as an honored guest. They dared not show any disrespect, or else they would be offending not just Li Hao, but also the Emperor and the thousand-year-old laws of the dynasty.

Li Hao, still seated on his horse, merely nodded slightly in greeting.

After some pleasantries, they escorted Li Hao to the City Lord's mansion.

Inside the mansion, the two young female generals exchanged awkward glances.

Earlier, in the discussion hall, they had strongly opposed using Li Hao's battle flag, questioning its ability to intimidate the enemy, and even embarrassing the Xia family. Now that the young master himself had arrived, they couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.

"General Haotian, how did you kill those three Undying Realm great demons? We didn't even see you make a move..."

Xia Yuanming asked curiously.

Previously, he had been the most opposed to using Li Hao's battle flag, but now that he saw the young master in person, he felt a bit intimidated. After all, the young man's feat of slaying seven Demon Kings was well-known and undeniable.

Hearing his question, Xia Qingfrost also turned her gaze towards Li Hao.

She remembered that when they were defending Qizhou, rumors had spread that the young man had already reached the Fifteen-Mile Realm.

And now, just two short years later...

"You won't understand even if I tell you because your cultivation is not high enough."

Li Hao replied calmly, without a hint of mockery.

Xia Yuanming's face turned slightly awkward, and he felt a twinge of resentment. However, thinking of how the young man had just rescued Licheng City, he didn't take it to heart and simply stopped trying to flatter him.

The elderly Xia general, however, felt that Li Hao's response was reasonable. He gave Xia Yuanming a reproachful look, as asking about combat techniques was indeed a bit too presumptuous.

"General, weren't you being pursued by that great demon in the Grand Unity Realm earlier? Did you just escape?"

He changed the subject and asked politely.

During this period, countless eyes had been fixed on the Mohe River outside Liangzhou, but there had been no news from there. No one expected that the person they were waiting for would suddenly appear in Yuzhou.

"Yes, I did."

Li Hao replied, and then proceeded to ask about the situation in Liangzhou.

Although he had learned a bit from the innkeeper earlier, the information that the Xia family general could provide would be much more detailed and valuable.

After hearing the update, Li Hao was finally relieved to know that Liangzhou was indeed peaceful.

However, while Liangzhou was peaceful, other states in the Great Yu Dynasty were engulfed in war.

The elderly Xia general continued, explaining that Yuzhou was currently surrounded on all sides, facing off against the top forces among the demon hordes—the Gluttonous Valley. If it weren't for Li Hao's arrival, the demons would have broken through their defenses in the northwest direction soon.

And Licheng City wasn't even the main battlefield in Yuzhou.

In the eastern direction, battle reports had been pouring in, and the main forces of the Xia family were concentrated there.

After finishing his report, the elderly Xia general knelt on one knee before Li Hao, beseeching him to lend his strength to the Xia family.

The other young Xia generals were stunned. They never expected their clan uncle to show such deference to Li Hao.

Li Hao helped him up and frowned slightly as he thought, "It's not appropriate for me to intervene in this matter without warning. It's best if you seek permission from your family head first."

Hearing Li Hao's words, the elderly Xia general immediately understood that the young man before him possessed a wisdom beyond his years. He had tried to enlist Li Hao's help on his own, but his influence was clearly not enough.

"I will report this to the family head right away. I hope you can stay in Licheng City for a few more days."

The elderly Xia general said hastily.

Li Hao nodded slightly, "That's fine, but I also need to return to Liangzhou soon, so I can only stay for three days."

"Three days..."

The elderly Xia general's face tensed up as he agreed.

He quickly sent someone to arrange accommodations for Li Hao.

However, Li Hao didn't stay in the City Lord's mansion. Instead, he asked them to find him a quiet courtyard within the city.

After Li Hao left, the elderly Xia general immediately sent a messenger with an urgent letter to the Xia family.

As Li Hao entered the city, a bird demon that had been keeping watch from high above observed everything.

When it saw the strangely deceased demons on the official road and the three fallen Undying Realm great demon kings, its initially relaxed expression turned to horror, and it almost dropped its feathers in shock.

Then, it saw the young man on horseback being respectfully escorted into the city by the elderly Xia general. Without a doubt, all of this was the doing of that young man.

The fact that he could kill great demon kings so easily, coupled with his youth, could only point to one identity.

That young man who was said to be trapped in the Youdu-level Mohe River had returned?

With this suspicion in mind, the bird demon quickly fled in a panic, flying a hundred miles away from Licheng City, where the main forces of the demon horde were camped. There were also two Undying Realm great demon kings stationed there.

At that moment, on a mountain peak, two great demon kings were feasting, one of them concealing their aura as they tore apart a human leg and drank wine, looking extremely relaxed and content.

The Tianji Temple bird demon rushed over in a fluster and relayed the news.

"What?!

"That guy from Liangzhou is here?!

"But wasn't he supposed to be in the Mohe River?!"

The two great demon kings were both stunned, and after repeatedly confirming the information with the bird demon, they finally ordered the demon horde to temporarily retreat, filled with apprehension and fear.

The vast demon horde, which had been pressing against the city, quickly withdrew like a receding tide, as observed by the Xia family scouts outside Licheng City.

The bird demon also relayed this news back to the Tianji Temple, and the Yuzhou branch of the Tianji Temple quickly passed on the information to the frontline battlefield in Yuzhou.

Almost at the same time that the Xia family in Yuzhou received the news, on the frontline battlefield, the leader of the Gluttonous Valley, seated atop a mountain, also received a message from the Tianji Temple.

That young general from Liangzhou had arrived in Yuzhou!