126. Leave No Grass Behind

Chapter 126: Leave No Grass Behind

While roasting the tusk with his palm, Li Hao asked Li Hongzhuang, "Do you know the locations of the lairs of the few great demons that attacked tonight?"

"Hmm?"

Li Hongzhuang was stunned for a moment and then said, "Why, do you still want to destroy their lairs?"

"Is there a problem?"

Li Hao was puzzled.

"..."

Li Hongzhuang was speechless. Naturally, there was no problem. If they could destroy them, not only Li Hao, but she would also want to personally flatten them.

In the past, while she was stationed here, she couldn't leave. If she did, the demons would invade, and without her to protect them, the soldiers, even with the help of a few deputies, wouldn't be able to withstand the attacks of the three immortal demons.

After all, the original Cangya City had already been breached, and even the city walls and formations were gone. Just the divine power of the three immortal demons was enough for the army to handle.

"You just arrived, so I haven't had a chance to tell you about the demon forces outside Tianmen Pass."

Li Hongzhuang began drawing on the sandy ground in front of the campfire with her sword.

Initially, she didn't plan to discuss this with Li Hao because he was just a child.

From what she learned from Li He, she knew that her seventh brother intended to abandon Tianmen Pass. Over the years, the reinforcements sent had decreased, and no one repaired the broken city walls.

If it weren't for this being the territory of the Great Yu and a pass established by their ancestors, they wouldn't be guarding it to their deaths.

Now, sending this child over for a so-called handover was merely to inform them that they could abandon it.

Moreover, it was to force his talented but contentious son to lower his head and experience the dangers of demons.

However, her seventh brother probably didn't expect that just on the first night after arriving.

His monstrous son had already killed two of the three immortal demons that had plagued this place for years!

Such achievements, if evaluated in other border passes, would probably be enough to confer a first-class special merit. Without a title, he could directly be made a third-class earl!

"The three demons you saw tonight belong to three different demon kings' territories."

Li Hongzhuang drew a circle: "This is our Cangya City."

Saying this, she laughed self-deprecatingly. There was nothing around that could be called a "city" anymore.

"Three thousand miles to the east is the border city of Beilin Kingdom."

"In the three thousand miles between, here, there is a mountain range, which is the first major demon force outside the border."

Li Hongzhuang drew a small circle, her expression becoming serious: "That place is Longshan Dojo, where a ten-thousand-year-old true dragon lives, calling itself Dragon Lord!"

"That is a Four Pillar Realm demon!"

Hearing her words, Li Hao's eyes narrowed, focusing on the circle before the sword tip.

"This is a forbidden area. No matter what happens, do not step foot there."

Li Hongzhuang said seriously, "The Dragon Lord generally doesn't leave Longshan Dojo and won't attack our Tianmen Pass because if it comes, it's considered an invasion!"

Li Hao nodded slightly, recalling the conversations with his second uncle while fishing.

These Four Pillar Realm demons outside the borders didn't dare recklessly invade.

Why?

It's simple; they had been personally warned by the older generation of each Shenjiang Mansion.

It's like a treaty signed between the Great Yu and the Four Pillar Realm demon kings.

Not listening?

Either the older generation from Shenjiang Mansion takes action, or that master from Qiandao Palace does.

They don't dare disobey.

This ancient and majestic dynasty, although old, still had the power and aura to intimidate the eight directions.

As for why they were only warned and not directly killed, that's another matter.

The number of these great demons isn't small, but they are not united. Warning them one by one, they would still be cautious. However, if killed massively, it might provoke the remaining ones to unite, causing great casualties to the Great Yu.

Ultimately, the Great Yu no longer had the power to completely exterminate the surrounding demons.

After all, some of these demons were quite troublesome.

That master from Qiandao Palace, who sat in the capital of Yu State all year round, seldom left because he feared certain demons would directly attack the capital!

At this moment, Li Hongzhuang reiterated the treaty with Li Hao and then said: "Although these Four Pillar Realm demon kings seem obedient and dare not easily invade, our military power has declined. The Mo River has tied up Tianzhao Shenjiang Mansion for seven or eight hundred years. These demons are now restless."

"They dare not easily take risks themselves, fearing pursuit and death. But they often let their subordinates test the waters by invading."

"In this way, even if questioned by the court, it's just a war of words, meaningless, so we can only endure!"

Li Hao nodded, continuing to listen.

He had previously asked his second uncle why the older generation didn't sit at the border since the Four Pillar Realm demons dared not invade. Wouldn't that be safer? The answer he got was that the number of the older generation in the Four Pillar Realm wasn't many.

Moreover, besides these registered and warned old demon kings, occasionally, other Four Pillar Realm demon kings would emerge every few years or decades.

They came from farther places or cultivated in deep mountains and forests, unfamiliar with the Great Yu.

They roamed into the Great Yu, often wantonly slaughtering, directly wiping out cities and territories. Sometimes, if not stopped in time, they could devour half a state.

The older generation needed to deal with these demons, and for those who had already invaded and caused large-scale casualties, there was no point in warning. They had to be killed to set an example, which would lead to battles.

Many of the older generation in Shenjiang Mansion had died for this reason.

Seeing Li Hao merely listening without any questions, Li Hongzhuang raised an eyebrow and then continued: "The Dragon Lord can't invade, but if you appear in its territory, it has a reason to kill you. So don't approach it."

"Tonight, the Chi Hu Jun you killed was actually the Dragon Lord's mount."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes grew cold, saying, "These Four Pillar Realm demons don't act themselves but allow their subordinates to invade and test us repeatedly. If they are injured or defeated, they escape back. If you recklessly pursue, you will be caught and eaten."

A mount? Li Hao's expression was odd.

A true dragon demon king with a tiger as its mount?

Dragon riding a tiger? No wonder that tiger demon had chains, likely saddle-like restraints, also serving as weapons.

"Besides the Dragon Lord, the second demon king is in the north."

Li Hongzhuang drew another circle on the ground, but a larger one, closer to the camp circle:

"This is the Wanyao Mountain Range, home to an ancient demon king we call the Wanshan Demon King."

"This Wanshan Demon King is on par with the Dragon Lord in strength. Who is stronger, we don't know, but we certainly would die if we encountered it."

"But it is also registered and warned. The Six-Tusked Boar Demon you killed was one of its fierce generals."

She then drew a circle to the south: "There is a lone peak here, but no one dares to enter within five hundred miles, not even demons."

"Inside lives the third demon king, the Shengshan Demon King!"

Li Hongzhuang glanced at Li Hao, saying, "You might be familiar with this demon king's background. It once practiced in the Sheng Palace in Yanbei, mastering the Sheng Palace demon clan's ultimate techniques. It seems to have been an elder there. Now it occupies a mountain here, calling itself Shengshan."

"Your father fought the Sheng Palace for over a decade. The situation in Yanbei must be extremely complex. I know little, but it's fortunate your father returned."

Li Hao didn't speak, his expression unchanged.

He noticed Li Hongzhuang's hint: the war in Yanbei was tough.

She probably thought his conflict with that man was because the man was away for many years at war, and he resented and didn't understand.

He didn't explain anything and felt no need to.

"Does the Beilin Kingdom invade?" Li Hao asked.

Li Hongzhuang frowned slightly, noticing Li Hao didn't respond to her hint. She sighed inwardly.

As Li Hao's aunt and her seventh brother's younger sister, she naturally hoped this father and son duo would reconcile.

But for now, it seemed unlikely.

She didn't dwell on it and returned to Li Hao's question:

"Beilin Kingdom doesn't dare openly invade, just likes to play tricks, such as secretly offering sacrifices to the Dragon Lord, sacrificing many living beings every year to test us."

Her face turned icy.

Li Hao frowned. Sacrificing living people to demons was only done by some extremely backward villages in the Great Yu.

Commoners worshiped demons for protection or demonic power to oppress their villages.

When discovered, the Demon Suppression Department would deal with it, executing all involved.

But now, other nations were using this despicable method against the Great Yu.

Indeed, in war, all means are used.

After Li Hongzhuang finished, Li Hao had a good understanding of the situation outside Tianmen Pass.

"The demons you killed tonight should be enraged, likely to attack again soon, maybe even tomorrow."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes didn't show retreat but a cold killing intent.

Li Hao nodded slightly and asked, "Do they live in the demon king's lairs all the time? Don't they have their own lairs?"

"Of course not."

Li Hongzhuang said, "The Dragon Lord is a thousand miles away, and traveling back and forth takes time. Besides, which fierce general likes staying under their master's nose all the time? They have their own nests outside for convenience."

Li Hao's eyes moved, "Do you know their lair locations?"

"You really want to destroy their lairs?"

Li Hongzhuang asked in surprise.

Li Hao nodded, "Since I killed them, I'll kill them all."

He spoke calmly, but Li Hongzhuang squinted her eyes, then a smile appeared on her cold face:

"Well said, very bold!"

She then drew two circles on the ground: "The scouts found their lairs in these two directions, about three to four hundred miles away. You can check, but don't go too far. If you enter the demon territory and the demon king notices you, not even a god can save you!"

Li Hao glanced at the crude map and memorized the directions.

At this time, the tusk in his hand was almost heated.

He immediately restrained the scorching heat in his hands and began grinding and carving with the beast horn.

[Carving Experience +24…+19…+35...]

As the notifications appeared, Li Hao continued grinding.

After half an hour of heating and using the beast horn and great strength, the grinding progress increased rapidly.

Perhaps the material of the boar tusk was quite rare, as the notifications kept coming, sometimes with large amounts of experience.

When the roasted meat was ready, Li Hongzhuang started eating.

Meanwhile, Li Hao continued grinding, and his carving skill suddenly leveled up to 500 experience points, reaching the second level! In no time, he had two skill points.

Li Hao couldn't help but marvel at how easy it was to earn skill points with carving.

However, he suspected it was related to the quality of the boar tusk. If he were carving an ordinary wooden plaque, the experience points would likely be just 1 or 2.

To verify this, Li Hao, halfway through grinding, heated the tusk for the second time and used the beast horn to carve a tree stump with one hand.

At the second level of carving, he could perform detailed carvings, creating lifelike images.

He carved a small person in overalls on the spot, but it gave less than 20 experience points.

So stingy.

It seemed carving was indeed related to material quality, just like his painting and fishing. The more difficult it was, the more experience he gained.

Time passed quietly.

When the campfire dimmed slightly, Li Hao finished his third round of grinding. The originally long and curved boar tusk was now shaped into a somewhat sharp crescent.

But it was still far from a sword, barely resembling a large, blunt-edged greatsword.

It might not cut someone to death, but it could certainly smash someone.

At the root of the tusk, he carved out a round hole, making it easy to grip.

He instructed Ren Qianqian not to wander around the camp and to take care of the little white fox.

Then he carried the crescent tusk sword and headed out of the camp.

"Are you going tonight?"

Li Hongzhuang, sitting on the small mound, saw Li Hao's actions and was stunned.

It was still late at night, the early hours.

"To prevent them from escaping," Li Hao smiled. To be safe, he had rested while grinding the tusk and was now about seventy to eighty percent recovered.

"..."

Li Hongzhuang was speechless. She didn't expect this young man to be more enthusiastic about slaying demons than herself.

"Be careful," Li Hongzhuang said. Given that Li Hao could kill two great demons and return unscathed, despite being at the Heavenly Human Realm, his combat ability was at the Three Immortal level. With Li He watching over him, she was more reassured.

After all, it would be ridiculous to treat a Three Immortal as a baby.

Li Hao nodded and then leaped out, disappearing into the night outside the camp.

...

...

The wind howled as Li Hao traversed mountains and ridges in the dark.

His divine soul flew from his head, patrolling the heavens and earth under the moonlight, monitoring all directions.

Occasionally spotting remaining little demons along the way, he killed them with ease.

Following a straight line in one direction, he left the wilderness outside the pass, crossed forests, and climbed several mountains, rushing three hundred miles overnight.

Finally, he smelled a strong stench of blood.

On the ground here, there was still fresh blood and some demon limbs.

He glanced around, noticing three demon corpses, their bodies torn and ragged, seemingly injured and eaten by their kind.

Looking ahead, he saw a mountain, its surroundings littered with various remains, the stench wafting over.

Without hesitation, he flew straight towards it.

"Madam, please restrain your grief. Mr. Black Scale has already gone to Longshan Dojo."

Inside a large cave carved in the middle of the mountain, there was firelight, casting grotesque shadows on the cave walls.

"Shut up, you cowardly creatures! If you had covered our retreat, how would the lord have died?"

A low roar echoed from within.

The cave fell silent.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew into the cave.

"Who?!"

The shadows on the cave walls suddenly moved, and two figures emerged from a corner, approaching the firelight, their shadows shrinking to their vicinity.

"To dare linger here, how courageous."

A calm voice said.

In the faint moonlight at the cave entrance, Li Hao appeared, carrying the tusk sword. Behind him, under the cold moonlight, lay a mountain of demon corpses.

Their deaths were gruesome, all bodies split open, killed with a single blow.

"It's you!"

A burly man with a leopard tail behind him suddenly turned pale, his eyes bulging in horror.

He recognized the boy's face; their lord was killed by him!

Run! After the shock, the thought flashed in his mind, and he transformed, rushing to another part of the cave to escape.

But a sword qi suddenly slashed over, petals seemingly appearing around him.

Flowers in the cave? Then, the man's body split open, collapsing on the petal-strewn ground, his body instantly torn apart.

With a swish, a divine soul burst from his body in terror, but before it could escape, another sword qi swept past, shredding it.

Seeing this, the other demon had no time for words, fleeing deeper into the cave.

Two minutes later.

Li Hao sat deep in the cave, in front of a large campfire made of tree stumps.

Beside the campfire lay four demon corpses, lifeless.

Li Hao flipped through two books, recording them into the panel, then looked at a burly woman kneeling at his feet and asked:

"No other techniques?"

"No, no more."

The burly woman trembled in fear.

In front of this boy, they didn't even have a chance to escape; the sword qi seemed to ignore distance, arriving instantly.

"You said the Dragon Lord has six other subordinates of the same level as your lord?"

Li Hao frowned slightly. Six Three Immortal demons attacking together would have overwhelmed Li Hongzhuang long ago.

"Yes."

"Why didn't they join forces to attack Tianmen Pass?" Li Hao asked.

"The lord said the Dragon Lord wouldn't let them take Tianmen Pass too quickly. This way, they could slowly enjoy more delicacies while also tying up Li's forces..." The burly woman trembled, her eyes full of fear but also hiding ferocity.

"Then why did it attack tonight?"

Li Hao asked again.

"The lord wanted to eat Li Hongzhuang. As for Tianmen Pass, they kept it to see if other Li family members would come to guard it, killing each one."

The burly woman said, cautiously watching Li Hao, realizing he was also a Li family member.

Li Hao's eyes narrowed. Using Tianmen Pass as a fishing spot? Feeding on Beilin Kingdom's offerings while luring the Li family.

"Why keep the Li family tied here?" Li Hao asked again.

"I don't know. The lord didn't tell me." The burly woman's face turned pale.

"Hmm?"

Li Hao stared at her.

"Maybe…" The burly woman cautiously approached.

Roar! Suddenly, her fangs grew, her expression fierce, transforming into a lion's head, trying to bite Li Hao's head off.

But as she pounced, Li Hao's hand pressed her head down, slamming her chin into his knee. The lion head's bones were no match for Li Hao's kneecap, shattering with a cracking sound.

As she was dazed, Li Hao's hand moved to her neck, and his finger flicked out a sword qi.

It pierced her neck, severing a vertebra, and her head separated from her body.

Then, a divine soul fled from the lion's head, terrified, but Li Hao blew at it, enveloping it with his power, and it shattered.

After this, Li Hao looked at the two books in his hand.

He clenched his hand, and the books crumbled to dust, scattering on the ground.

Li Hao stood up, dusted off his pants, and walked out of the cave with the tusk sword.

Standing at the cave entrance, his divine soul flew out, patrolling the surroundings for dozens of miles.

He killed every demon within thirty miles.

He even eliminated any beasts that hadn't yet been tainted by demonic energy.

He also destroyed several ant nests behind the mountain and crushed a group of small fish swimming in a nearby stream.

Additionally, he manipulated the sand and soil to fill the two ends of the stream, cutting off the water source's activity.

Without a water source, beasts wouldn't gather there, greatly reducing their survival rate.

After ensuring no life forms were left, Li Hao finally left, disappearing into the night.

An hour later.

Li Hao arrived at another hillside basin.

This was the lair of the Six-Tusked Boar Demon. A patrolling little demon was wandering on a hill outside the basin.

Li Hao casually picked up a blade of grass and shot it through the demon's forehead from ten miles away.

The patrolling flag in the demon's hand fell to the ground.

Li Hao walked straight into the basin, frowning at the overwhelming stench of feces and urine. He held his breath and quickly entered.

It wasn't long before the pungent odor of blood mixed with the stench.

Li Hao's figure rushed out from within, covering his nose and quickly leaving.

The boar demon's lair was truly revolting...

The boar demon seemed to enjoy itself, having seven or eight sow demons, as well as two leopard demons and bird demons, living with it. Its private life was quite "colorful."

Traveling swiftly in the night, Li Hao returned to the camp.

Li Hongzhuang was sitting on a small mound, holding her sword, seemingly dozing.

Li Hao's returning footsteps caused her eyebrows to twitch slightly. She slowly opened her eyes, a bit tired, but quickly suppressed it. "Did you find it?"

"Yes."

Li Hao nodded.

"No danger?" Li Hongzhuang asked, but after looking at Li Hao's condition, she realized it was a redundant question.

"Almost vomited."

Li Hao said with lingering discomfort.

"?"

Li Hao chuckled. "You should rest."

Li Hongzhuang gave him a look but didn't ask further, closing her eyes to sleep again.

Li Hao returned to the campfire. Ren Qianqian emerged from the nearby tent, saying, "Young Master, you're back."

"Not asleep yet?"

"I just fell asleep."

"Then go back to sleep."

"And you…"

"Don't worry about me, just go rest." Li Hao waved his hand.

Ren Qianqian glanced at him, knowing she couldn't help, so she said goodnight and returned to her tent.

Li Hao sat by the campfire, looking around at the night, aware that the old man was still watching over him in the dark. He sighed inwardly, more eager to become stronger quickly so that the old man could have it easier.

"Let's add a special meal tomorrow," Li Hao muttered to himself.

"Brat, you said it," a voice drifted into his ear.

Li Hao couldn't help but laugh, giving a strong "Hmm."

Under the moonlit starry night, the older and younger figures were covered by the night, both with faint smiles on their faces.

Li Hao didn't rest but started practicing the body-refining techniques he had just obtained, a total of five.

Among them, only two were top-notch, surpassing even the Thousand Jiao Sacred Body of Tingyu Tower.

Perhaps only the fully deduced Primordial Technique could rival them.

These two techniques were "Five Visceral Prime Body" and "Bright Jade True Demon Technique."

As they were recorded into his panel, both techniques quickly advanced to their highest levels.

The influx of a large amount of knowledge into his mind was now reviewed by Li Hao. He practiced them in front of the extinguished campfire.

As he moved, his bones emitted a low, thunderous sound.

His blood, bones, and flesh were stimulated by the techniques, absorbing the energy of heaven and earth greedily, continuously filling him.

Li Hao's body rapidly transformed, becoming more delicate, smooth, and resilient.

Li He watched from the shadows, astonished.

He had been tracking this extraordinarily talented young master for days and was witnessing him practice for the first time.

According to the household, this young master had never been seen practicing. Unexpectedly, he trained at midnight.

But relying on such short daily sessions to reach his renowned level?

At this moment, Li He saw the energy of heaven and earth surge, converging rapidly towards the boy's body.

Li He's pupils constricted in shock.

Is this practicing or plundering?

The energy of heaven and earth gathered like a storm, funneling into Li Hao's body, absorbed by the Five Visceral Prime Body technique.

Li Hao's body was rapidly refined, his organs, including blood, flesh, and meridians, all condensing.

Terrifying power emanated from his body, with his physical strength greatly increasing.

Such movements caused Li Hongzhuang in the distance to slightly open her eyes, glancing sideways.

After completing one cycle of the technique, Li Hao felt a significant increase in strength, his internal energy becoming more abundant, and his body as tough as beast hide.

He continued practicing the second and third cycles.

With each repetition, the improvement from the technique gradually reached saturation by the ninth cycle.