Chapter 195: Li Jia's Tenth Brother, Li Hao!
"Fourth Uncle?"
Although he had deduced the other party's identity, Li Hao still asked cautiously.
"Hmm?"
Li Xiaoran, upon hearing Li Hao's address, sized him up with a glance and asked, "Are you the little mouse that Second Brother mentioned to me?"
"..."
Although he didn't know how the Second Master had introduced him to this brother of his, Li Hao could only nod silently.
"Li Xiaoran!"
Zhu Huoshen and the other two Demon Kings had caught up. Lu Yuan looked at Li Xiaoran, his eyes narrowing slightly before curving into a cold smile as he asked, "Haven't you freed your big brother yet?"
Li Xiaoran's casual and relaxed demeanor turned slightly solemn as he swept a glance at Zhu Huoshen and Yin Furen, narrowing his eyes.
"What's the matter? Have the three of you reached the Tai Xu realm?"
Li Hao quickly transmitted his voice to him, "Fourth Uncle, they joined forces to attack Liangzhou, and now Liangzhou is almost in ruins. Be careful, that fire-spewing one is probably half a step away from the Taiping Dao realm!"
Hearing Li Hao's transmission, Li Xiaoran's eyes flickered, but his expression remained unchanged.
"They joined forces to attack Liangzhou? Why are they here then?"
Li Xiaoran's mind raced with countless thoughts. With the combined might of a Tai Xu realm master and this Dragon Gate Elder, the regular troops stationed in Liangzhou would never be able to withstand them.
"Why are they chasing you? Do you have the Holy Heart Treasure Talisman? Aside from them, are there any other Demon Kings?" Li Xiaoran transmitted his questions.
"They didn't catch up to me," Li Hao transmitted back. "As for other Demon Kings, I only saw six or seven, and I killed them all."
"..."
Li Xiaoran was stunned, and he couldn't help but glance at Li Hao.
He didn't know what to say about Li Hao's statement.
He had clearly sensed Li Hao's aura when he flew over, which was unmistakably at the San Bu Xu realm.
Killing Demon Kings? Six or seven of them?
However, the speed at which Li Hao had flown over was indeed not something a typical San Bu Xu realm cultivator could achieve; even among those at the Jue Xue realm, it would be considered top-notch.
There were too many questions, but Li Xiaoran didn't have the chance to ask as the area in front of them suddenly ignited with raging flames. Zhu Huoshen's Domain was expanding.
At the same time, Yin Furen also condensed black moonlight, refracting thousands of moonshadows and covering the surrounding area, forming a killing array!
Previously, they had been talkative because they wanted to witness the father-son conflict and vent their pent-up resentment.
But now, they were too lazy to waste any more words.
Sensing their auras, Li Xiaoran's expression changed slightly. As Li Hao had said, these foes indeed possessed Domains.
However, they were somewhat different from the Taiping Dao realm experts he had encountered before; they hadn't truly stepped into that realm.
Nonetheless, their power was terrifying. How had Li Hao managed to escape to this point?
"You go first, I'll hold them off!" Li Xiaoran said.
"Fourth Uncle, you can't hold them off," Li Hao quickly replied. "They have Domains. Our only options are to flee or use the Miehe River to kill them if they dare to enter!"
Li Xiaoran was slightly taken aback. He had thought that Li Hao had come here to seek his help in escaping, but he never expected Li Hao to be planning to use the Miehe River as a trump card.
Seeing the increasingly intense aura ahead, Li Xiaoran understood immediately and stopped wasting time. If it were just the three Jue Xue realm foes, he could still fight them to the death, but once their Domains were formed, he would be at a disadvantage.
"Alright, go ahead, and I'll catch up soon!" Li Xiaoran said hastily.
"Let's go together," Li Hao said, not wanting to leave his newfound relative to face the three powerful Demon Kings alone. Upon their first meeting, this 'Fourth Uncle' was willing to stand against three formidable Jue Xue realm Demon Kings for him, leaving Li Hao with a feeling that was difficult to express.
"Hmph, none of you are leaving!" Zhu Huoshen coldly smiled, suddenly raising his hand. A crack appeared between his eyebrows, and a dazzling stream of divine fire burst forth from his fingertips, shooting towards Li Hao.
Swish!
Li Xiaoran's eyes widened in anger, and he slashed out with a dazzling knife light.
"Wuji Leidao!"
Lu Yuan suddenly took action, blocking the knife light with his dragon claws. Countless bolts of lightning converged on them, roaring towards Li Xiaoran. From the start, he was going all out.
Yin Furen manipulated the moonshadow killing array, sending countless beams of moonlight piercing through the air towards Li Hao.
Li Xiaoran's heart trembled. He hadn't expected this couple to target Li Hao together, and their attacks were so vicious. Was it really necessary to use such extreme measures against a San Bu Xu realm cultivator?
He let out a low roar, and his hat flew off as his tattered clothes exploded, revealing a sturdy upper body with white hair flying wildly.
His eyes turned snow-white, and his bones crackled as he stepped forward, unleashing his ultimate technique.
"Tian Ya Xiaoyao Dao!"
A dazzling blade of light slashed out, making the distant horizon seem within arm's reach, instantly erasing the space between them.
At the same time, the blade surpassed the constraints of the technique, becoming formless and carefree like the wind, for the wind is formless.
This blade was unavoidable and would hit its target, even surpassing the pull of the Dao's rhythm!
Boom!
The blade of light slashed onto the divine fire, extinguishing it.
However, Li Xiaoran himself bore the brunt of Lu Yuan's sharp claws. The Wuji Leidao landed on his body, tearing a bloody wound that exposed the bone.
All of this happened in an instant. Li Hao's expression changed drastically as he saw that the other party was using their full strength to defend him. Anger surged within him, and he punched out, shattering the countless moonshadows!
A terrifying fist aura emanated from his body, and Li Hao drew upon the power of the heavens and earth, stepping into the Hua Xian realm once more.
His body became like a cyclone storm, with violent power gathering around him. This sight left the badly injured Li Xiaoran stunned, and he watched Li Hao in astonishment.
"Die!"
However, Lu Yuan seized the opportunity to attack, his anger transforming into a killing move aimed at Li Xiaoran.
Li Xiaoran had already reacted. Although he didn't know the reason, the junior that his Second Brother had mentioned was far more powerful than he had imagined.
He abruptly turned around, unleashing his ultimate technique once more.
This blade was filled with rage as it slashed through the lightning, somehow arriving before Lu Yuan's attack. It landed on Lu Yuan's head, cutting a deep wound that exposed the bone.
Lu Yuan tried to dodge, but he couldn't escape the inevitable strike of the Xiaoyao Dao or the instantaneous shortening of distance.
The dragon's head caved in, and a deep wound appeared, almost splitting open its skull.
The Wuji Leidao that Lu Yuan had condensed also exploded onto Li Xiaoran's body, but this time, Li Xiaoran was prepared. He slapped out with his palm, dissipating much of the lightning, although the flames and destructive power within the lightning charred his palm black.
However, compared to Lu Yuan's injuries, his wounds were obviously much lighter.
In the instant that the two were fighting, Zhu Huoshen and Yin Furen also took the opportunity to attack Li Hao. Divine fire and moonlight pressed down on him like the sun and moon arriving together, aiming to sandwich him and kill him.
Li Hao roared angrily. His whole body turned reddish-gold as he once again forced his physical body into a divine power state. His aura surged like a raging tide, and he punched out several times.
Boom, boom, boom!
The heavens and earth trembled. Yin Furen's black moon ultimate technique possessed terrifying penetrating power, and although Li Hao shattered it, it left terrible wounds on his fists. Its destructive power was even more overbearing than Lu Yuan's Wuji Leidao!
As for the divine fire, Li Hao shook it apart, but the scorching heat charred his skin. However, new, tender flesh quickly grew back.
Zhu Huoshen's Domain was about to take shape, and Li Hao quickly transmitted his voice, "Fourth Uncle, I still have a Holy Heart Treasure Talisman. You go first, I'll be right there!"
Li Xiaoran was taken aback. Given Li Hao's extraordinary talent, it was not surprising that he possessed the Holy Heart Treasure Talisman, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly transmitted back, "Come quickly!"
After replying, Li Xiaoran unleashed several furious slashes with his knife, each aimed at Zhu Huoshen and Lu Yuan.
The terrifying knife wind instantly pressured the two. Zhu Huoshen's forehead radiated golden light, like a divine radiance, shattering the knife qi, but the remaining force still caused him to retreat a few steps, his expression changing slightly.
Lu Yuan, on the other hand, hurriedly roared and turned around to protect himself. The Wuji Leidao covered his body, and the terrifying tearing force lessened the power of the knife wind that arrived in an instant. However, his defense was not as fast as Li Xiaoran's knife technique, and he was slashed on the head, blood gushing out, giving him the feeling that his head had been chopped off.
Lu Yuan's heart was startled. This Li family's fourth brother was too frightening. After not seeing him for decades, he was even more formidable than the eldest brother back then!
Who could block such an instantaneous knife technique?!
Li Xiaoran slashed out several knives and quickly retreated. Zhu Huoshen's Domain was about to take shape, and if they didn't leave now, they wouldn't be able to get out.
As he turned to leave, he noticed that Li Hao had not burned the Holy Heart Treasure Talisman, and he was puzzled.
At this moment, Li Hao roared, his blood boiling, and his veins exploding. He attracted the power of the six directions of the world and condensed it into a single punch, slamming it out fiercely.
This punch, close to his full power in the Hua Xian realm, directly shattered Yin Furen's Black Moon and simultaneously extinguished the divine fire released by Zhu Huoshen.
Li Hao turned around and rushed out, escaping the Domain just as it was about to enclose him.
Like a bloody cannonball, Li Hao crashed to the ground and hurriedly exerted his full control over his physical body, shutting down the induction of the world's power.
Fortunately, he had not truly reached his limit, and with his full control, the torrent of violent qi was finally slightly suppressed.
Li Xiaoran was shocked. Li Hao didn't use the Holy Heart Treasure Talisman and instead relied on his own physical body to withstand the attack.
He actually let a junior cover his retreat!
His expression changed several times, and Li Xiaoran's body quickly rushed towards Li Hao, grabbing him and rushing towards the giant stele.
"Quick, into the Miehe River!"
At this critical moment, he didn't have time to ask Li Hao how he had gained such formidable power, and he hurriedly stepped into the Miehe River with Li Hao.
"This is a Youdu-grade Miehe River. After you enter, remember to find me. I'm in the Shenjiang Mansion!" Li Xiaoran instructed urgently.
The Youdu-grade Miehe River was extremely dangerous, and only those at the Four Establishments realm dared to enter. Only those at the Taiping Dao realm had the hope of passing through it!
Since the time of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, there had been no precedent for passing through the Youdu-grade Miehe River.
Perhaps the Zhenren of Qian Dao Palace had this ability, but he sat in the Dao Palace, never concerning himself with worldly matters.
Moreover, the Miehe River had been outside the territory of the Great Yu Divine Dynasty, and no one was willing to take the risk of calming the Miehe River, a thankless task that involved helping the demons.
Only in the past few hundred years had the Miehe River gradually extended into the territory of the Great Yu Dynasty, especially in the last five hundred years, when the rate of extension increased, leading to the establishment of the Shenjiang Mansion to specifically address this issue.
At this moment, a radiant light appeared in front of the giant stele.
Li Hao noticed that on the back of the stele was a miniaturized temple similar in appearance to the one he had seen at the Tan Palace Academy.
However, the two statues in the temple were much more dilapidated.
The clay had fallen off, making the statues unrecognizable, and the colorful clothes on their bodies were also severely damaged.
At this moment, a golden page appeared from Li Hao's chest—the "Miehe River Household Register" he had obtained when he first entered the Miehe River!
Li Hao's heart trembled. Now that his realm was higher, he found the Miehe River even more mysterious.
This golden page was within his body, yet when he cultivated, he couldn't detect its presence at all!
It was a power beyond his current ability to comprehend.
As the golden page flew out, a ledger flew out from the temple and collected the golden page.
In an instant, the scene before Li Hao's eyes changed, as if he had traveled through space and time, and the world turned.
Countless lights flashed before his eyes, and the giant stele, Li Xiaoran, and the three Demon Kings disappeared.
Even Li Hao felt that his power seemed to be disappearing, stripped away by some force...
Amidst this rapid transformation, only a few golden lights converged into ancient words:
[You have entered the Miehe River]
[Your registered residence has been confirmed: Great Yu Dynasty, Qingzhou]
[Challenger: Insect Two]
At the same time, a stream of information appeared in Li Hao's mind:
Miehe River Territory: Dragon City Miehe River.
Miehe River Completion Rate: 0%.
Miehe River Main Quest:
Defend Dragon City for ten days (not yet started)
.
Miehe River Side Quest:
1: Growth (triggered)
.
Quest Content: Please survive until the age of eighteen before the destruction of Dragon City, and master a skill.
Quest Progress: 0.01%.
Li Hao was puzzled. Survive until the age of eighteen? How many years would he have to spend here?
Before he could ponder further, the ever-shifting light before his eyes suddenly disappeared.
Immediately afterward, a voice sounded in Li Hao's ear, startling him:
"Tianzong, she gave birth, she gave birth!"
"It's a boy!"
Li Hao felt as if he had passed through a cramped space, and dazzling light appeared, causing him to subconsciously close his eyes.
When he had adjusted to the light, he saw several giant faces appearing before him.
Li Hao was bewildered by the situation.
"Sister Fang, you've worked hard."
A middle-aged man with a stern expression now had a smile on his face as he turned to look at the pale-faced beauty beside him with loving concern.
Li Hao had barely adjusted to the faint glow of the light, and he looked at the beauty. The more he looked, the more he felt that she resembled the old lady he had seen before.
The beautiful woman in front of him held Li Hao lovingly, her head covered in sweat, showing that the childbirth she had just gone through had been extremely painful and difficult. Yet, at this moment, she wore a gentle smile: "Child, from now on, you are the tenth member of our Li family..."
Li Hao was stunned.
What... was going on?!