Chapter 293: River of Death

Wang Yongzhi was so shocked that he almost exclaimed aloud, and in the quiet mountain, his voice echoed.

The many noble members of the Wang family who followed them in were all stunned. Then, it was as if a thread in their hearts had been plucked, and they suddenly felt their hearts quicken.

Insect 2?

This name was even more resounding to the Wang family than the fame of General Haotian.

Everyone looked at Li Hao in surprise, and their gazes immediately focused on the golden paper.

Although the golden paper was only palm-sized, everyone present had extraordinary cultivation. They could clearly count the number of legs on a fly a thousand meters away, let alone the golden paper right before their eyes.

Name: Insect 2

Merit Points: 100100...

Everyone's eyes were about to pop out of their sockets. It was really him!

Insect 2, was actually Li Hao?!

Everyone's mouths hung open slightly as they looked at Li Hao in shock.

They never expected that this extremely mysterious Insect 2, the person who didn't even bother to accept the title of Divine General bestowed by His Majesty, was actually Li Hao, the one who had caused so many waves!

But soon, as if enlightenment struck them, everyone felt as if they had suddenly understood something profound.

Oh, so that's how it is. No wonder!

When the Battle of Liangzhou broke out, Li Hao had attracted the three great demon kings by himself and was forced to the River of Death outside the border.

That River of Death was also recorded in the Wang family's archives: Dragon City River of Death, Ghost City-level, Difficulty: Top-notch.

Obviously, the reason Li Hao was able to get out of there unscathed was not because he was protected by the spirit of a heroic soul due to his Li family bloodline, but because he had cleared the River of Death! The timeline matched up.

"So it really was you..."

Wang Yongzhi came back to his senses and looked at Li Hao in astonishment.

When the Merit Treasury was opened earlier and the name 'Insect 2' resounded throughout the Great Yu Dynasty, they had their suspicions about Li Hao. However, not only had Li Hao not shown himself, but the difficulty of the Dragon City River of Death was also extremely high.

Ever since the Wang family had sacrificed many soldiers in the Dragon City River of Death and failed to conquer it, they had reported it to His Majesty. His Majesty had no choice but to abandon the territory where the River of Death extended and cede it to foreign lands, so they had stopped paying attention to that River of Death.

However, according to the records, that River of Death was one of the dozens of Mortal Realm-level Rivers of Death that the Wang family had explored, and it was among the top five in terms of difficulty.

The fact that it forced them to give up territory showed how unsolvable it was.

Even the Knife Saint Li Xiaoran had tried for many years but failed to clear it. Although they had suspected Li Hao, they had eventually dismissed the idea.

After all, Li Hao had been pursued by the Overlord of the Grand Void back then, and they had all entered the River of Death. The difficulty would only increase, making it even more impossible to clear.

But now, the impossible had become possible.

Moreover, the evidence was irrefutable. The information about the River of Death on the golden paper would not deceive anyone, and currently, they did not know of any power that could influence the River of Death, unless it was something strange brought out from the River of Death, like this Ksitigarbha Buddha, that could have an impact on the River of Death.

"I knew it was him. Who denied it when we were discussing it earlier? Come out!"

Suddenly, a middle-aged man in the crowd shouted excitedly.

But the man next to him nudged him with his elbow and whispered, "It was the family head and Uncle Wang Zhenfeng."

"..."

Two pairs of cold gazes swept over simultaneously, and the middle-aged man immediately shut up. On this hot summer day, he suddenly felt a chill, and he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Uh, it's a bit crowded here, and I'm feeling a bit stuffy. I'll go outside for some fresh air."

The middle-aged man said sullenly.

These words sounded far from convincing in the empty mountain hall, but no one said anything.

He cupped his hands towards Li Hao and said, "Congratulations, General Haotian, or should I say, Divine General Haotian. Congratulations..."

As he spoke, he really did go outside for some fresh air.

When the others heard his words, their faces showed not only shock but also a hint of complexity.

Yes, a Divine General... The young man before them was no longer a simple general but a Divine General comparable to the founders of their five Divine General Mansions!

With his own power, he had opened the era of the Merit Treasury and turned the tide to save the three states!

Two earth-shattering achievements were gathered in one person. It was unimaginable what kind of sensation it would cause when Li Hao's identity as Insect 2 was revealed to the outside world!

Among the crowd, Wang Zhenping's aged face also showed a hint of surprise.

He looked at the golden paper, his eyes narrowing as he examined it over and over again to confirm that he had not misread it.

Suddenly, he thought of the words spoken in the main hall of the palace earlier, and his face felt hot and painful.

Experience and intellect? The Wang family certainly had rich experience with the Rivers of Death and possessed many secret things that outsiders did not know about, such as this Ksitigarbha Buddha.

But these things were only for show in front of others. To discuss them in front of the person ranked first on the merit list was a bit ridiculous and humiliating.

"Divine General?"

Li Hao was puzzled by the middle-aged man's words. The man was of the same generation as Wang Yongzhi, so he shouldn't be speaking nonsense.

"You didn't know?"

Wang Yongzhi looked at Li Hao in surprise, then suddenly realized, "No wonder you didn't go to the court to receive your reward. His Majesty said that he wanted to bestow upon you the title of Divine General. The impact of the opening of the Merit Treasury is far-reaching and will have a profound impact on the future of the Great Yu Dynasty. It not only helps us solve the problem of clearing the Rivers of Death but also raises the limit of warriors. It is truly a blessing for countless generations."

Li Hao blinked. Was he going to be made a Divine General?

This was great news, but he had just returned, so this matter was probably old news by now, not to mention that no one knew his identity.

"Aside from the title of Divine General, is there any other reward?" Li Hao asked curiously.

Wang Yongzhi was stunned for a moment, then said, "I think there might be... What exactly the reward is, you'll probably have to go see His Majesty to find out."

"Alright..." Li Hao nodded, then looked at the illusory map floating above the Ksitigarbha Buddha's head, with a golden light spot on it.

"Which one should I choose?"

Wang Yongzhi also came back to his senses and looked at the map. Suddenly, he thought of something and smiled, "I just remembered that I have some free time. I'll accompany you on this trip."

"Uh, Family Head, I'm also free. I'll come and help too."

"I miss Uncle Wang Zhendong. It's been a long time since I've seen him. I want to go and see him."

The others were also quick to react, and one after another, they spoke up. Only the two elders, Wang Zhenfeng and Wang Zhenping, remained silent.

However, Wang Zhenfeng had a smile on his face as he watched these usually steady individuals acting playful. It was quite entertaining.

While Wang Zhenping remained silent, seemingly struck by the revelation, the others couldn't contain their excitement.

"You guys..." Wang Yongzhi glared at them before turning to Li Hao. "Haotian Divine General, do you mind?"

"Not at all," Li Hao replied with a slight shake of his head.

Wang Yongzhi breathed a sigh of relief. He then conjured a golden paper in his palm, similar to the one Li Hao had, which was filled with detailed records of his battles and destruction of a different River of Death.

Li Hao glanced at it and noticed that while the merit points were only around five thousand, far less than his own, the number of events listed was quite extensive, indicating that these points had been accumulated gradually.

The others also presented their golden papers. Wang Yongzhi directed Li Hao's attention to the golden light spot on the map, explaining, "Here, just use your divine sense to perceive it."

Following his instructions, Li Hao focused his consciousness on the golden light, and soon, he felt as if his awareness was being drawn into it.

Instinctively, he extended his Domain to envelop his physical body, and immediately, he felt his body float up, carried by the golden light to another realm.

After a brief sense of warping through space, Li Hao found himself in a dilapidated small town.

The town was eerily silent, with wine flags fluttering in the wind, yet the buildings on both sides of the street were damaged and crumbling.

There were charred bodies lying motionless by the roadside, their backs turned to Li Hao. The howling cold wind added to the desolation and eeriness of the place.

Soon, golden lights began to appear around Li Hao, as Wang Yongzhi and the others entered the River of Death as well.

"Is this the place?" Li Hao asked.

Wang Yongzhi scanned the surroundings and nodded. "Yes, this is the River of Death. Let me find Uncle Zhen Dong."

As he spoke, his soul suddenly emerged from his feet and dove into the ground, but it quickly resurfaced. A surprised expression crossed his face as he said, "Something's strange. It feels like the rules in this River of Death have become stronger."

The Underworld-level Rivers of Death already had simple rules associated with them.

Before they had entered, Wang Yongzhi had shared some information about this particular River of Death with Li Hao.

Rule: Hands and feet are reversed.

In simple terms, if one wanted to use their feet, they had to think about using their hands, and vice versa. They had to use their hands as feet and feet as hands to maintain normal movement.

However, as this was only an Underworld-level River of Death, the binding force of the rules was not particularly strong and was limited to physical actions. Now, Wang Yongzhi discovered that even his soul was affected.

Despite intending to levitate his soul, he ended up tunneling underground instead.

"Hmm?" Li Hao frowned slightly. He didn't want any mishaps to occur here, especially with Feng Lao's lingering soul present.

"Be careful, everyone. It seems like something has changed in this place," Wang Yongzhi said, his face tense and his eyes filled with gravity. Based on his experience, when a River of Death underwent changes, it rarely boded well.

Soon, his soul rose into the air, and at the edge of the town, he located a figure. "I've found Uncle Zhen Dong. Follow me."

As he spoke, his body seemed to hesitate for a moment, and he took a step backward before realizing what was happening and slowly moving forward. However, his limbs seemed uncoordinated and awkward.

The others had been prepared for this, but many of them still ended up taking a step back in unison.

"It's not just the hands and feet rule being reversed. It seems like everything is reversed. If you want to move forward, you have to move backward!" Wang Yongzhi quickly warned them.

The others quickly grasped the situation, their faces turning grave. The strengthening of the rules in the River of Death likely indicated an impending mutation, a potential upgrade!

Could this Underworld-level River of Death be transforming into a Ghost City-level one?

After a brief moment of stiffness, the group slowly adapted to the new rules, but their movements were still awkward and uncoordinated. In the midst of intense combat, they would likely become flustered and confused, their natural instincts conflicting with the reversed rules.

Noticing their struggle just to walk, Li Hao extended his Domain to encompass them all.

Soon, the group found themselves involuntarily retreating, taking several steps backward before realizing what was happening.

"Let me lead you there," Li Hao offered.

His expression was solemn, and his divine sense had already covered the entire town. He had spotted Wang Zhen Dong, but what concerned him more was a pitch-black rift of darkness outside the town, slowly creeping toward them.

His divine sense couldn't penetrate that darkness, and as it drew closer, he felt a bone-chilling cold that signaled danger.

"Domain..."

Sensing Li Hao's expanding Domain, the members of the Wang family couldn't help but feel envious. This was the power of the Great Peaceful Dao Realm—defying all rules and logic.

Any rules were nullified within its boundaries.

Soon, Li Hao led the group to the edge of the town.

There, they found four figures seated together: a sturdy-looking elderly man with a face like a carved knife and sharp eyes, accompanied by three others—a man and a woman of the younger generation and a middle-aged man.

"Uncle Zhen Dong," Wang Yongzhi addressed the elderly man respectfully. This man was currently one of the key pillars of support for the Wang family.

The old man, Wang Zhen Dong, had a sharp gaze and a stern expression as he regarded them. "Why have so many of you come here?"

"Uncle Zhen Dong, what's the situation here?" Wang Yongzhi asked quickly, his tone serious. In a River of Death, one couldn't afford to be careless.

"This River of Death is about to be fused!" Wang Zhen Dong replied, his face darkening as he fixed them with a stern look. "Who allowed all of you to enter? Don't you know the rules?"

Wang Yongzhi and the others paled at his words, as they had rarely seen Uncle Zhen Dong so grave.

"Fused? Has it collided with a Ghost City-level River of Death?" Wang Yongzhi blurted out, his voice laced with concern. "But there aren't any other Rivers of Death nearby, are there?"

"It's a newly extended one, not something that can be seen in the mortal world..." Wang Zhen Dong's eyes swept over them as he spoke. "It's a Hell-level River of Death!"

Hell-level River of Death!

As those five words left his mouth, Wang Yongzhi and the others felt their hearts clench in fear. Their faces drained of color as they processed the implications.

Hell-level River of Death? That was the most terrifying type, where even those in the Great Peaceful Dao Realm could perish, forever trapped in hell. It was classified as the highest and most forbidden level.

For an Underworld-level River of Death to collide with a Hell-level one and undergo fusion... No wonder the rules here had intensified so drastically!

Wang Yongzhi felt the hairs on his body stand on end, and he trembled, as did the others who had accompanied him.

Being part of the Wang family, they were all too aware of the sheer horror that a Hell-level River of Death represented. It was given this name because once one entered, there was virtually no escape, and one would be doomed to an eternal hell.