71. Merit
Chapter 71: Merit
Whose flying sword is this? Has a Fifteen Li Realm expert arrived?!
Everyone was filled with joy and looked around, wondering if someone from the Xia family had arrived.
Song Yueyao was stunned as a figure appeared in her mind. The person she had seen earlier was using a broken demon-slaying knife, not this sword. Could it really be someone from the Xia family? Where did that guy go?
Song Yueyao looked around but did not see Li Hao. Similarly, she didn't see any shadow of a Xia family general. Perhaps they were standing somewhere out of sight.
While everyone was overjoyed, the remaining great demons were in a panic. The sudden change was too unexpected!
Reinforcements? The Xia family?
Whatever it was, the Red-Browed Taoist was dead!
Even it was killed in an instant, not to mention the remaining Spirit Traveling Realm demons.
Moreover, it was said that the Red-Browed Taoist had cultivated in the Sacred Palace for a thousand years and was considered extremely strong even among the Fifteen Li Realm.
The Giant Strength True God of Black Wind Mountain, who once dominated outside Cang Yu City and was known as the Giant Demon King, was also defeated by the Red-Browed Taoist and had to obey him.
However, against the Xia family's Fifteen Li Realm expert, was the Red-Browed Taoist so easily defeated?
The demons, terrified, quickly retreated, leaving the demon horde behind.
As the great demons fled, the remaining Soul Merging Realm demons followed suit, realizing that without the Red-Browed Demon King, there was no chance of victory.
While the rear of the demon horde continued to charge forward, the front ranks were already turning tail in panic.
This collision caused the entire horde to descend into chaos.
Meanwhile, after killing the Red-Browed Taoist, Li Hao continued to operate the flying sword across the battlefield, hunting down the fleeing Spirit Traveling Realm demons.
These great demons had the potential to regroup, so Li Hao wouldn't let them escape.
The sword light, like divine lightning, flashed across the battlefield. The fleeing demons, desperate to resist and use their life-saving magic, were powerless against the sword's speed and power. They were easily pierced.
One by one, the great demons fell, shrieking.
The only option for these great demons was to scatter and hope that Li Hao's range was limited, so he couldn't pursue them all.
But as Li Hao controlled the flying sword, he also moved towards the northern city wall.
Wei Feng, who had considered retreating, paused. With Li Hao's strength in the Fifteen Li Realm, unless a Heaven-Man Realm demon appeared, the attack was unlikely to succeed.
A Heaven-Man Realm demon would not need to rely on other demons to cause such a commotion.
If a Heaven-Man Realm demon attacked, they could destroy the city in the time it takes to burn an incense stick.
However, a Heaven-Man Realm demon entering human territory would face relentless pursuit by the Divine General's Mansion and was unlikely to act alone.
If it were part of a demon force at the border, it wouldn't be marked for individual pursuit, making it easier to retreat to the demon lands for safety.
Thinking of this, Wei Feng took Ren Qianqian and Li Yuanzhao with him to follow, wanting to witness the battle's outcome firsthand.
With him by their side, they could retreat and protect themselves if necessary.
Meanwhile, as Li Hao moved, his control range expanded. The Spirit Traveling Realm demons couldn't escape the battlefield and were killed one by one.
"How is his range so far!!"
A great demon, compressed into a small black fog, heard the whistling wind behind and felt utter despair.
Swish!
The sword light swept through, shattering the black fog.
With all eight Spirit Traveling Realm demons dead, Li Hao directed the flying sword to turn back towards the demon horde.
The sword light moved through the horde like a needle and thread, blood spraying as the demons were slaughtered.
The once menacing demon horde quickly became a sea of blood and corpses, leaving the survivors to flee or scatter.
Seeing this, the commander on the wall called for others to pursue.
Liu Shunqing and the Qi family led their disciples to chase the demons—this was a rare opportunity to earn merit.
In less than half an incense stick's time, the demon horde had collapsed.
Gazing at the demon corpses below the wall and the most prominent three-part corpse of the Red Flood Dragon, the city defense soldiers felt like they were dreaming.
Initially, they had lost hope, even writing farewell letters in their barracks, only to find they had defended the city successfully.
Demon siege?
Under that flying sword's onslaught, it seemed like a farce. The grand buildup ended abruptly.
The demon cloud hovering in the north had dissolved with the death of the Red-Browed Taoist and the other great demons. The sky cleared once more.
On the city wall, the soldiers raised their arms in cheer.
Yue Shuhong arrived only to see the scattered demon horde and stood in a daze.
For twenty years, he had schemed with demons, maintaining a delicate balance, and in the end, was it no match for this boy with a single sword?
His emotions were tumultuous, mixed with an unspeakable sadness and bitterness.
All his years of compromises seemed meaningless.
Only power could solve everything, a truth he knew well.
Yet, burdened with official duties, how much time could he devote to cultivation?
He was speechless, raising his head with a long, gentle sigh.
The demon horde was over. With so many demons dead, no others would dare to invade Cang Yu City for decades.
But what about himself?
He smiled bitterly, then composed himself and walked toward Li Hao.
"Young master Li, I, Yue, shamelessly represent all the people of Cang Yu City in thanking you for your rescue!"
Yue Shuhong's expression was solemn, his hands clasped in respect, bowing deeply to Li Hao.
Li Hao raised his hand, and the flying sword came to him like a cloud, landing in his grasp.
Looking at the city guardian, the middle-aged man's face was dark and weathered, marked by time.
"A minor effort, no need to thank me," Li Hao said calmly.
Yue Shuhong's mouth twitched bitterly before he said, "I will report my collusion with demons to the court. Also, young master Li's merit in defending the city will be reported, with all the soldiers here as witnesses. Your achievement will not go unrecognized."
"Merit? A small matter."
Li Hao shook his head slightly, indifferent.
Seeing Li Hao's calm demeanor, Yue Shuhong paused. The young man's eyes were clear, without false modesty.
Regardless, his merit was too great to ignore, as he had said. It was impossible to downplay.
In peacetime, gaining merit was difficult.
Even in war, earning great merit was hard, with common avenues being to breach formations, climb first, capture flags, and slay generals.
Additionally, capturing leaders and annihilating forces were significant merits.
Breach and climb were second-class merits, according to Dayu's rewards laws, granting a second-grade title.
Capturing flags and slaying generals were first-class merits, even harder to obtain, granting a third-grade title.
Dayu's titles ranged from knight, viscount, earl, marquis, to duke!
Above the duke was the renowned divine title.
The ancestors of the Five Divine General's Mansion held divine titles, serving the former emperor in founding the Dayu dynasty, establishing immortal feats passed down for millennia.
Except for divine titles, all others had three ranks. Achieving a first-class merit would directly grant a first-rank knight title.
A second-class merit would grant a second-rank knight title.
If one was already a knight and gained a first-class merit or three second-class merits, they would be promoted to viscount, rewarded with land, akin to a noble landlord.
Earls could receive fiefdoms!
Merit was hard to earn, but today Li Hao, with his strength alone, defended the city's people. This merit exceeded first-class.
How it would be accounted for, Yue Shuhong didn't ponder; he'd leave it to the court. It was likely at least a third-rank viscount.