162. Facing All Directions

Chapter 162: Facing All Directions

Three thousand miles outside the pass. In a valley filled with poisonous fog and surrounded by miasma, a palace stood tall. Birds cloaked in wind vortices flew through the poisonous miasma, landing in the palace.

Inside, a formation isolated the poisonous miasma from entering.

Numerous birds perched on the railings and divine pillars of the palace, some transforming into childlike figures upon landing, with small statures and delicate, watery appearances.

This was a branch of the Tianji Hall.

Among the demon forces, Tianji Hall held a position no less than that of Dragon Gate or the Holy Palace. Though its overall combat power wasn't strong, its hall master was extremely mysterious. With bird demons under his command possessing vast amounts of intelligence, traversing various forces, and having widespread connections, many major forces relied heavily on them.

"Everyone's received the news, right? That boy is slaughtering demons everywhere!"

"Too arrogant! He dares to venture alone into our demon territory. This is not the Great Yu Dynasty!"

"It's just that the Wan Shan demon king and others fled from the border. No one can hold back that boy. Surely, he has that Four-Legged Realm expert secretly following him."

"Previously, when that boy traveled from Qingzhou to Liangzhou, he was always protected by that Four-Legged Realm expert, preventing those demon kings from taking risks to kill him. Now that he ventures alone, he's seeking his own death!"

Seven or eight boys and girls of varying appearances and short statures gathered. Leading them was a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, wearing a red dress, delicate and charming, but with an indifferent and mature demeanor.

"Master Ming is dead. He was killed by that boy!"

A boy in black whispered.

His voice was immature, but his eyes were dark and gloomy.

The others remained silent. They already knew this news through the previous whistle signal.

Tianji Hall traversed among various demons, but no demon would touch them unless they were mad. Any demon harming Tianji Hall members would pay with their lives! Now, a human dared to kill their Master Ming at will. He must pay! "You've spread the message, right? I just contacted other states, spreading the word about this boy. Those great demons and demon kings who hate the Li family will surely come!"

"As long as he continues to linger here, he's doomed!"

The girl in the red dress had eyes like bright snow, her voice cold.

The other children nodded, their eyes showing murderous intent.

"Have you found out who the Four-Legged Realm expert secretly following him is?"

The girl in the red dress continued.

The children exchanged glances. Another delicate girl in a green dress shook her head and said:

"We thought it was Li family's Fourth Lord, but I personally checked. He hasn't left that river."

"It's not the Fourth Lord."

Another child with snow-white hair shook his head, a cold smile on his face. "You'd never guess who it is. During the Wan Shan demon king's attack, I observed from afar. The person's attack style, though deliberately hidden, was recognizable to me."

"I looked into the records and found it related to the Buddhist incident thirty years ago. If I'm correct, it's the Thief Saint, Feng Boping!"

"What?"

Hearing his words, the others were shocked.

Even the birds listening nearby widened their eyes.

"Thief Saint? He's protecting that boy?"

"The Li family secretly associated with the Thief Saint?"

"Oh my, if the Buddhist sect knew, the Li family would be in trouble."

"Not just the Buddhist sect. If other gods knew, it would be a top secret worth a great price!"

They spoke excitedly. This was a rare handle on the Li family. However, currently, they only knew the Thief Saint was protecting the boy and hadn't obtained concrete evidence of collusion with the Li family.

If mere protection wasn't enough to impact the Li family, they needed solid proof.

"Report this to the hall master. Our elders will personally investigate, following the clues. If we find evidence, it'll be a great boon for us."

The girl in the red dress had a glint in her eyes, her tone slightly excited.

Tianji Hall thrived on intelligence. The more valuable the intelligence, the greater their advantage.

At that moment, a bird flew through the miasma, landing in the palace.

"Report to the elder, that boy just killed the Old Ancestor of the Western Mountain and is heading this way."

The bird spoke with an old woman's voice.

"What? The Old Ancestor of the Western Mountain is dead too?!"

The other birds were shocked.

That was an unyielding great demon, similar to the Three-Headed Snake, who had cultivated for ten thousand years. It was said to be half a step into the Four-Legged Realm. And it was dead? "He didn't escape?"

"Didn't anyone warn him?"

"He was warned. He wanted to test his abilities, to see what that young boy was capable of."

"..."

The birds fell silent.

The girl in the red dress had a dark expression. "This poisonous miasma may not be able to block his detection. That boy can tear apart the Three Immortals, which is terrifying! We must disperse immediately and use the mysterious sound whistle to communicate. A demon king is already on the way. I'll go meet him and ask him to wait a bit longer until other demon kings arrive to kill that boy together."

"Yes."

The birds nodded.

Soon, numerous birds flew out from the hidden miasma valley.

Their wings carried a vortex technique, isolating the poisonous miasma and clearing a path.

As the birds scattered, the palace quickly became empty.

At the Tianmen Pass.

Li Hongzhuang stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance. Seeing no sign of Li Hao's return, she frowned, feeling a sense of unease.

"General, has Shaojiang Haotian not returned yet?"

A grandmaster came to ask.

Li Hongzhuang was taken aback. "What did you call him?"

"Shaojiang Haotian," the grandmaster replied, confused.

Li Hongzhuang's face changed slightly. Previously, Li Hao had been awarded for his meritorious service in guarding Dayue City and Tianmen Pass. The emperor had bestowed the title of Shaojiang (Young General) upon him. This news had spread in the court and reached the Li family in Qingzhou.

Now, the city was filled with banners bearing the name Haotian, fluttering in the wind. Most people in the city had changed how they addressed Li Hao.

No one seemed to call him the young master of the Li family anymore.

Perhaps people still remembered his origin and noble surname in private, but over time, would anyone remember? Li Hongzhuang's thoughts wandered until the grandmaster's question pulled her back.

She frowned slightly and asked, "What do you need him for?"

"General, it's not me. The Star Officer is looking for Shaojiang Haotian."

The grandmaster explained, "It seems they've completed constructing the formation and want the young general to test it."

Li Hongzhuang glanced into the distance. "I'll go take a look."

She flew over and soon landed on the other side of the city wall.

The Star Officer, an old man, was waiting with several students.

"General."

Seeing Li Hongzhuang in her crimson battle armor with her general's insignia, the Star Officer saluted.

Li Hongzhuang didn't dare to be disrespectful and quickly returned the salute. "Thank you for your hard work."

"It's our duty."

The Star Officer scanned the area. "Where is Shaojiang Haotian?"

Li Hongzhuang frowned slightly, remaining calm. "He went outside the pass to slay demons."

"When did he leave? I didn't see any army set out."

Behind him, Xia Xianglan asked curiously.

Li Hongzhuang glanced at her. "He went alone, without the army."

"Alone?"

Xia Xianglan was stunned. "Why didn't he take the army? Isn't it dangerous?"

"…"

Li Hongzhuang was at a loss for words. How could she answer? Say there was no danger? Impossible.

Say there was? How could she justify him going alone?

After a slight pause, she said, "The dangers outside the pass mean our soldiers would only slow him down, becoming burdens."

Saying this, she felt a bit embarrassed.

What seemed normal now felt awkward to say out loud.

"He's that powerful?" Xia Xianglan asked in surprise.

Li Hongzhuang fell silent. Yes, that boy was indeed very powerful.

So powerful that even she, his aunt, couldn't keep up with him.

Perhaps, if her brother were alive, he could stand shoulder to shoulder with that boy, waiting for him in a distant, splendid landscape.

"Xianglan, don't be rude."

The Star Officer, though not fond of socializing, understood the nuances. He had heard the sensational rumors about the boy and the Li family and immediately addressed Li Hongzhuang:

"General, do you know when the young general will return?"

Li Hongzhuang had no definite answer. Li Hao had left without saying anything.

Seeing her silence, the Star Officer looked at her with a strange expression but said nothing more. "In that case, we'll wait for a few days for the young general to return."

"Thank you."

Li Hongzhuang replied.

"Is he always like this?"

Xia Xianglan asked Li Hongzhuang.

Li Hongzhuang frowned, ignoring the question, feeling a sense of helplessness.

Xia Xianglan pouted slightly, watching her master and Li Hongzhuang leave. She then looked at the snowy landscape outside the city:

"What kind of demons is he fighting?"

Three thousand miles outside the pass.

A seven-colored dragon bird was fleeing in panic, wings shedding feathers as it sped through the mountains.

Behind it, a golden divine light chased rapidly, speeding up to slash at its wings.

The dragon bird roared in anger, flapping its wings to create a thunderous sound, unleashing a storm of lightning towards the golden light.

But the golden light curved sharply, slashing another part of its body, tearing open its side and nearly exposing its organs.

In pain and fear, the dragon bird cried out, "I have no grudge against you. Why are you forcing me to death?!"

Li Hao's figure appeared from another direction, punching out with a force that sealed the surrounding space, crushing down on the bird.

The dragon bird slammed into a mountain, creating a massive crater, its blood spilling into the valleys.

The golden light followed, piercing the bird's head before it could rise.

"You…"

The dragon bird stared at the approaching boy in fear and anger, unable to get up again.

Dragon Xiao Sword returned to its sheath, and Li Hao looked at the bird, shaking his head. He released a dark thread to wrap the bird's body, dragging it along.

He gathered more dark threads, pulling along the shadows of various demon bodies captured along the way.

Soaring into the sky, the bodies trailed behind him like kites, a grand sight.

Pushing three thousand miles, killing from west to east, Li Hao regretted not encountering a demon king, only reaching the unyielding demons.

"Are there only those three demon kings outside the pass?"

Li Hao felt a bit frustrated.

So far, he was just warming up.

Continuing east, he flew over several mountain peaks, using his divine soul to explore.

In some peaks, he found demon caves, but they were all empty.

He had seen this before, frowning. Initially, he had seen some bird demons, but after crushing a few, even those were hard to find.

"It's like these demons knew I was coming and ran."

"Is it the Tianji Hall demons sending messages?"

Li Hao sighed, feeling like he was delivering himself, but the demons fled, which seemed unreasonable.

He continued for a while, visiting several empty peaks and feeling bored. He found a large mountain to sit on, the dark-threaded demon bodies landing nearby.

"Old Feng, bring some wine."

Li Hao called.

From the void, a wine gourd flew over, but Old Feng didn't appear:

"Drink less. This wine is strong."

"Strong wine is good."

Li Hao laughed, popping the cork and drinking.

A few wild birds flew by, landing to peck at mountain fruits.

These birds weren't demons, just ordinary creatures.

Li Hao glanced at them indifferently, drinking more wine, then suddenly looked at the birds.

They were searching for fallen fruits and insects.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow, and with a few pops, the birds exploded, crushed by telekinesis.

He released dark threads, forming a net around him.

He continued drinking.

Miles away, a seemingly ordinary bird demon winced in pain, blood dripping from its eyes. It buried its head under its wing, trying to hide.

Once stable, it flew up, still in shock, not daring to linger.

As it flew, it touched a string-like thing.

Before it could react, the dark thread tightened, wrapping around it and pulling it swiftly.

"What's this?!"

The bird demon struggled, but the thread dug into its bones.

It saw itself being pulled towards the mountain where the boy was, feeling terrified, and screamed.

Thud.

The bird fell lifeless at Li Hao's feet, having committed suicide.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Like the previous black bird, this Tianji Hall bird demon was well-trained, preferring suicide over interrogation.

"It seems with Tianji Hall here, large-scale demon hunting will be tricky."

Li Hao murmured.

He crushed the bird's body, then returned the wine gourd to Old Feng and took off again.

He wanted to see how many demons Tianji Hall could scare away.

Li Hao continued east, encountering an empty palace in a miasma-filled valley, which he casually destroyed.

Along the way, he smashed every demon cave or dojo he encountered.

While Li Hao rampaged, several figures flew in from the Liangzhou border a thousand miles away.

These figures emitted powerful demonic auras, led by a middle-aged man in white, with a handsome face and piercing eyes.

The other four figures, seeing him, were nervous and bowed:

"Feng Shanjun!"

The middle-aged man glanced at them coldly. "You also hold grudges against the Li family?"

"Yes."

The four nodded quickly, feeling tense.

After all, this was a demon king.

At that moment, two birds flew in, transforming into a red-dressed girl at the front.

"Feng Shanjun!"

She respectfully greeted the middle-aged man, then nodded to the others. "Please wait a moment. Bai Shenjun is also on the way."

"Bai Shenjun?"

Feng Shanjun frowned. He didn't expect that one to come. Given their long-standing feud with the Li family, it made sense.

"When will he arrive? If he's too slow, I'm not waiting."

Feng Shanjun said.

The red-dressed girl was about to respond when she suddenly looked up.

Several figures approached, led by a white-clad young man with a graceful demeanor.

Feng Shanjun noticed and squinted.

"He's here."

The girl smiled, greeting the young man. "Greetings, Bai Shenjun."

The white-clad youth glanced at Feng Shanjun and smiled. "You too?"

Feng Shanjun nodded slightly, his eyes cold. The youth was from the Holy Palace, not friendly with his backers.

"I'm here for personal reasons. Since we all hate the Li family, we're temporary allies."

Bai Shenjun smiled. "Let's see what that Li family boy relies on."

Feng Shanjun nodded, saying nothing.

"Zi Yu, lead the way."

The girl told the purple bird.

Watching them leave, she flew away, murmuring:

"The Li family has many enemies."

Li Hao crushed a cave, ready to move on when Old Feng's voice sounded:

"Little Mouse, a demon king is coming."

Li Hao's eyes lit up. He looked around, releasing his divine soul and dark threads.

Soon, he saw several figures approaching.

Two of them didn't hide their demonic auras, swirling like dark clouds, with dragon and phoenix cries, exuding terrifying pressure.

Li Hao's eyes narrowed. Two at once. They were prepared.

He tossed the demon bodies onto another mountain to avoid affecting the upcoming battle.

He began warming up, his blood and energy vibrating.

"Over there."

The purple bird pointed, then stopped.

The demons paid no mind, seeing the boy. To their amusement, he didn't flee but stood waiting.

Truly confident!

"There's a Four-Legged Realm hiding, but only one."

Bai Shenjun squinted, sensing the hidden expert.

"You handle that one. I'll take the boy!"

Feng Shanjun said, eyes filled with hatred.

Bai Shenjun's eyes flashed. "Alright."

Feng Shanjun felt relieved. He wanted to kill the Li family bloodline himself.

"Attack!"

He ordered, but didn't charge first.

The boy stood still, too strange. Though confident, he chose to observe first.

The avenging Three Immortals demons hesitated.

They saw the demon bodies on the mountain, all Three Immortals, discarded like kites.

According to Tianji Hall, the boy killed many Three Immortals demons. They doubted their ability to kill him alone.

"You came for revenge, scared?"

Feng Shanjun sneered, eyes fierce.

The demons felt helpless but knew their numbers gave them strength.

"Attack together!"

The Three Immortals demons agreed, flying at Li Hao.

They revealed their true forms, huge figures in the sky, demonic energy surging like tides.

Li Hao stood still, waiting for them to get within a few hundred meters.

He then moved.

His body inhaled a breath of immortal energy, harnessing the world's power.

Dragon Xiao Sword sprang from its sheath, shining golden light.

"Kill!"

A giant turtle demon roared, charging first, relying on its thick defense to block Li Hao's attack.

Dragon Xiao Sword struck, barely scratching the turtle's tough hide.

Li Hao's eyes widened. The sword emitted golden light, a dragon's roar sounding.

With a fierce slash, it shattered the turtle's protective light, slicing its neck deeply.

Meanwhile, the other demons roared, reaching Li Hao.

A giant ape demon drew a huge bow, the rough-looking weapon glowing with silver frost, firing an arrow from afar.

A dragon-scaled rat demon, with mixed dragon blood, leapt, spitting black demonic fog to corrode Li Hao.

Facing simultaneous attacks, Li Hao remained calm, pressing down.

The gathered power crushed the demons, making them shudder.

The frost arrow veered off, hitting the dragon rat.

The black fog was scattered by Li Hao's slap.