Bang!
Within Dragon City, a figure suddenly flew out from a restaurant, crashing through the railing and falling onto the street.
A sword wound marked his chest, but instead of blood, dark demonic energy spewed from the gash. His body quickly transformed into its demon form as it fell, trembling as it did so.
However, before its true form could fully manifest, a sword aura swept in like an autumn breeze, grazing its body. The trembling ceased, and the demon fell dead.
Leaning against the railing, Li Hao and Li Xiaoran approached.
The dead demon on the street was like a drop of ink that had fallen into a lake, staining the surroundings and keeping onlookers at bay.
Li Hao glanced at his mission progress. The exploration task hadn't increased, but the completion rate for the Dying River had slightly increased by 0.001 points.
Killing a single Heavenly Man realm demon had only earned him this minuscule amount of progress, which was rather startling.
At this rate, 1000 Heavenly Man realm demons would only amount to a single point of progress in the Dying River task.
Currently, he had been working on the [Growth] mission for 13 years, and his completion rate for the Dying River had reached 7.2.
"Based on the mission's progress, surviving in this place is more difficult than hunting down demons," Li Hao remarked.
"That's usually the case. If an outsider were to try and pass through here without the bloodline of the Li family, they would likely have been assassinated by the city's demons if they had reincarnated into an ordinary family," Li Xiaoran added.
"It's challenging to hide one's talent and avoid attracting the attention of demons, but exposing oneself also makes it hard to acquire cultivation resources," Li Hao said with a frown.
"Moreover, there's even a possibility of reincarnating directly into the house of a demon's neighbor. That would be an unrecoverable situation right from the start," Li Xiaoran continued.
"If it weren't for Fourth Uncle, I would have been in danger of an assassination attempt during the banquet as well," Li Hao said, his eyes flashing. Although he hadn't engaged in many battles with demons so far, he was already keenly aware of the difficulty level of this Dying River task.
No wonder even the Grand Peace Realm had only managed a slim chance of success.
If not for the presence of this Dragon City, a consequence of imprisoning Li Tianzong, the Dying River might have been even more perilous and unpredictable.
"Hmph, that demon was just a lackey, providing intelligence to the demons outside," Li Xiaoran scoffed as he glanced at the dead demon.
Li Hao knew that the situation within the Dying River was inherently different from the outside world. The greater number and strength of the demons here meant that only a handful of places within the city could be considered safe.
In contrast, any major city governed by a Divine General's Mansion in the outside world was generally peaceful and stable, with no demon attacks occurring for decades.
Organized demons dared not venture close, and disorganized ones lacked the capability to do so. They could only rely on humans who were either intimidated by the demons or had chosen to side with them, infiltrating the cities to gather intelligence on the Divine Generals' Mansions. Even then, they had to be extremely cautious.
However, Dragon City was rife with demon strongholds.
This was already the third one they had destroyed, and they had only been out for half an hour.
Li Hao leaped down from the railing and raised his palm, placing it on the demon's body. He activated the technique within his palm, absorbing a minuscule amount of life essence from its flesh and blood.
This life essence was refined and integrated into his own flesh and blood through the technique, bringing about a slight enhancement to his physical body.
This technique, named the Myriad Blood True Demon Art, was something Li Hao had derived by combining various body refinement techniques. Its grade surpassed the Exquisite rank, and he had managed to create it despite only being at the seventh level of the Physical Realm. It contained extraordinary power.
Even the name exuded a demonic aura, and it incorporated numerous demon techniques as well as forbidden body refinement techniques such as the Infant Devouring Manual and the Womb Birth Fist.
It focused on consuming the life essence of others to forge one's own body.
One achievement, ten thousand corpses!
Li Xiaoran noticed the technique Li Hao was using, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he recognized it as an extremely sinister art. However, he didn't stop him, as in the Dying River, any means of self-enhancement was acceptable.
Moreover, having witnessed court intrigues, interactions with chivalrous heroes, and the enmity between demons, he knew that the technique itself was secondary. The person wielding it was the key factor.
While some sinister techniques could cloud one's mind and lead to a bloodthirsty and dark temperament, the art Li Hao was cultivating seemed to only make him more ruthless and aggressive, without any apparent negative impact on his mental state.
Furthermore, at the Martial Ancestor Realm, martial arts were the core, and techniques were merely a form of skill. Their influence on one's nature was limited.
The two continued on their way to the next location.
Within the city, their figures leaped across the rooftops, visiting various places: a teahouse, a theater, the estate of a wealthy merchant in a secluded area, and even the home of a humble farmer.
With each stop, they left behind the corpses of demons.
Among the demons they had slain, the weakest was at the Fifteen-Mile realm!
Li Hao's heart grew heavier as he realized that the upcoming battle in Dragon City would undoubtedly be extremely brutal and challenging.
Moreover, they also had to contend with Candlelight God and Lu Yuan this time.
Thinking of them, a murderous aura flickered in Li Hao's eyes. If he could take advantage of this Dying River task to eliminate those two great demon kings, it would be the best outcome.
Within a certain mansion in the city, a wealthy old man was listlessly sipping tea when a servant hurried in to report, "Master, the twenty-seventh young madam has given birth again."
"She's given birth again?" The old man's eyes lit up, his large belly protruding.
Beside him, the butler standing with his hands behind his back also showed a glint in his eyes as he swallowed his saliva and said, "Congratulations, Master. You will be able to enjoy your meals again."
"Haha, quick, bring my child to me!" the old man exclaimed.
"The midwife has already brought him over."
"I can smell it, I can smell it indeed."
The wealthy old man's eyes sparkled with excitement. "Delightful! Quick, bring my child to me!"
Before he finished speaking, the old man had already reached out and, with a powerful tug, sent the swaddled baby flying into his arms.
Within the swaddling clothes was a newborn infant, but its cheeks and arms were covered in fine scales, and a snake-like, twisted tail protruded from its body, still coated with viscous fluid.
This monstrous child, however, delighted the wealthy old man, who caressed it lovingly and murmured, "So adorable."
As he spoke, he nuzzled his forehead against the baby's, as if in an affectionate gesture.
But the infant, as if sensing something amiss, opened its eyes wide. They were completely black, devoid of whites, and it clawed at the swaddling clothes, trying to wriggle free and escape.
Just then, the wealthy old man smiled broadly and suddenly opened his mouth wide.
It was a gruesome, bloody maw filled with sharp teeth.
With a whooshing sound, he sucked the infant into his mouth and began to chew.
"Delicious."
"Are there actually demons that specialize in feeding on human infants?"
"Yes, and their clan is quite large. They are born knowing how to escape from their nest, or else they will be devoured by their own mother."
Two voices trailed in, followed by the flash of a blade and the shadow of a sword striking simultaneously.
The wealthy old man, still chewing, was taken aback for a moment, managing to dodge the sword shadow but not the blade of light.
With a sickening splatter, the blade tore through his chest, ripping open a large patch of armor-like scales.
His body contorted, his head bulging and his eyes wild with rage. "Who dares?!"
Without hesitation, Li Hao and Li Xiaoran unleashed their attacks, their overwhelming offensive causing the servant and the midwife to collapse, unable to withstand the residual force.
Even the butler had transformed into a demon, revealing himself to be at the Three Immortal Realm.
Li Hao didn't hold back, sending a sword strike toward the butler.
His art technique points were abundant, and his sword technique had reached the sixth level. The sword light descended like a meteor, reaching its target in an instant.
Li Xiaoran's "Endless Sea, Carefree Wander" sword technique was derived from the "Boundless Sea" sword technique, and Li Hao's move was no different, erasing the distance and ensuring a near-perfect hit.
The two demons were sent flying backward by the force of the attacks. The wealthy old man still clung to life, but the butler was already dead, his body cleaved in two by Li Hao's sword light, unable to withstand the blow.
Li Hao had already guessed that Li Xiaoran had comprehended the "Boundless Sea" sword technique and extracted its sword intent, infusing it into his own knife technique. This meant that the fourth uncle, in addition to his exceptional knife skills, also possessed extraordinary talent in the way of the sword.
"Even Demon Kings have infiltrated the city, this is troublesome."
Li Hao spoke as he quickly joined the battle, fighting alongside Li Xiaoran.
"You damn Li family! I didn't collude with the demons outside the city, I just wanted to settle down here, why do you have to ruin my plans?!"
The wealthy old man roared in anger, revealing his true form.
But as he was only at the Dao Heart Realm, Li Hao and Li Xiaoran didn't bother with pleasantries, unleashing a storm of relentless attacks. The demon's flesh, scales, and armor were torn apart, and he soon lay dead in a pool of blood.
"Damn the Li family..."
The Demon King's breath faded away.
Li Hao crouched down, thrusting his palm into the demon's flesh and blood, stirring them while also activating the Myriad Blood True Demon Art to absorb the essence from its body.
Indeed, the Demon King's flesh and blood were exceptionally rich and potent, akin to a miraculous elixir.
Li Hao immediately transformed this power, refining his Unbreakable Divine Body, further enhancing his physical body.
With the refinement of the Supreme Body, the True Dragon Body, and others, his physical body was already comparable to a six-forged divine soldier, closely resembling his outer body.
Absorbing the Demon King's essence blood further condensed his flesh and blood, bringing him close to the strength of a seven-forged divine soldier.
"I should be close with another two or three Demon Kings."
Li Hao thought to himself.
The Demon King's final soul was extinguished by Li Hao, and when he checked the completion rate of the Dying River, it had only increased by 0.1!
When he had killed the Three Immortal Realm butler demon earlier, his completion rate had only gone up by 0.01!
Li Hao was astonished. Was this a joke?
In other words, to complete the Dying River mission by killing Demon Kings alone, he would need to slay a thousand of them!
Where would he even find a thousand Demon Kings to kill?
A thousand... The sheer number was staggering. These were beings at the Four Established Realm, and there weren't many in the entire Divine General's Mansion, let alone the Great Yu Divine Dynasty! Not to mention killing them all!
"Fourth Uncle, how long have you managed to stay in Dragon City on your previous attempts?" Li Hao couldn't help but ask, turning to Li Xiaoran.
"Are you talking about that progress rate?"
Seeing Li Hao's shocked expression, Li Xiaoran sighed. "This is the difficulty of a Youdu-grade Dying River. Even those at the Dao Heart Realm can barely protect themselves inside, and it's not an absolute guarantee. With bad luck, one might perish quickly."
"The highest completion rate I've achieved was staying in Dragon City for four days."
Li Xiaoran continued, "The demons outside Dragon City are no longer the same batch as the ones from Yanbei Dragon City in the past. Among these demons are various types that have never appeared in the Great Yu Divine Dynasty before. They are demons that have been drawn into the Dying River and imprisoned here."
"There are countless Demon Kings. In just four days, I encountered over a hundred Demon Kings.
The Dao Heart Realm was the weakest, and those in the Absolute Study Realm could easily defeat practitioners of the Dao Heart Realm, sometimes with just a single full-powered move!
Those in the Absolute Study Realm typically mastered the ultimate principles and techniques of martial arts, and their strongest attacks were incredibly fearsome, giving them the ability to fight fiercely against their enemies.
This was also the reason why no one dared to provoke them lightly.
To be precise, even those at the Dao Heart Realm were extremely formidable. After all, the fact that their attacks would always hit their mark was enough to strike fear into the hearts of those at the Three Immortal Realm.
As for the Absolute Study Realm, they had the qualifications to challenge a major power alone and engage in a bloody battle.
As for the Grand Peace Realm, there was no need to mention it; with their domain unfolded, they could sweep through all opponents!
'In just four days, over a hundred Demon Kings...'
Li Hao's eyes grew solemn at the thought. The Dying River imprisoned countless demon souls, and this Youdu-grade Dying River had existed for an immeasurably long time. No one knew how many demon souls had been trapped within.
It seemed that merely reaching the level of power outside was far from enough, and he would have to become even stronger!
Li Hao took a deep breath and, without asking further questions, helped Li Xiaoran clean up the Demon King's corpse and take care of the remaining minor demons in the mansion before turning to leave.
From then on, Li Hao spent his days cultivating and accumulating art technique points, as well as scouring the city with Li Xiaoran to hunt down demons.
Upon learning that Li Hao had slain a Demon King at the age of thirteen, Li Tianzong was so shocked that he was left speechless.
Although the other nine heirs of the Li family were all exceptionally talented, they seemed to be overshadowed by Li Hao's brilliance within the Dying River.
Even Li Junye, who had once been the most outstanding among them, was now like a firefly beside Li Hao, easily overlooked.
However, Li Junye cultivated diligently and made rapid progress. Although he couldn't keep up with Li Hao, by the time he was fifteen years old, he had already entered the Heavenly Man Realm, which was two years earlier than the record of seventeen years old for those outside the Dying River.
Li Hao guessed that this might be due to the unreasonable nature of the Dying River, coupled with the butterfly effect caused by his and Li Xiaoran's presence.
As time passed, Li Hao hunted down more and more demons, and his name struck fear into the hearts of the demons within the city. Wherever he ventured outside the Divine General's Mansion, there would surely be demons who met their end, accompanied by bloodshed and violence.
With each demon he slew, and with the help of the precious pills that Li Tianzong prepared for him, Li Hao's cultivation progressed at a startling pace.
Consuming too many pills could lead to a hollow advancement and an unstable foundation, but this was true only for ordinary people. Li Hao possessed various cultivation techniques, all of which were true-form or even superb in rank. With just a slight activation, he could thoroughly digest these pills.
His body was like a bottomless pit, capable of devouring endless amounts of energy, which would then be absorbed and utilized by his cultivation techniques to temper his body.
Li Hao's physical strength continued to climb, and in the blink of an eye, he reached the level of an eight-forged divine soldier.
Li Tianzong then granted Li Hao access to the Li family's core secret vault, which contained their collection of divine pills, secret treasures, cultivation techniques, and more.
Li Hao didn't hesitate to take what he needed and had no intention of saving anything for the future. After all, there was no future within this Dying River; everything here was but an illusion, and only Li Tianzong's existence was real.
Thus, he consumed all the divine pills and took the ancestral divine soldiers from the vault. The one placed in the highest position was a sword that belonged to the third of the ten founding ancestors.
The first ancestor, Li Tianyuan, used a spear, and the third ancestor was his grandson, who wielded a sword.
That sword had been reforged nine times and was close to the level of a Saint Heart Divine Treasure.
Li Xiaoran told Li Hao that it was a pity the first ancestor's weapon had been broken. It had been a Saint Heart Divine Treasure, and since the Grand Daoist of Heaven's Treasure passed away thousands of years ago, no one in the Grand Yu Divine Dynasty had been able to repair such treasures.
The term "Heaven's Treasure" in Saint Heart Divine Treasure was derived from the Grand Daoist's Daoist name.
His descendants lacked the talent to inherit his legacy, and his teachings were lost, which was a great regret for the Grand Yu Divine Dynasty.
Now, the master of the Myriad Treasures Tower was a distant descendant of the Grand Daoist of Heaven's Treasure, and he barely had the ability to forge Saint Heart Divine Treasures, but his success rate was not high.
Li Hao took the sword, whose name was 'Qing Shuang,' and complimented it with a nod, acknowledging it as a good name.
He immediately sheathed the sword and took this long-sealed ancestral divine soldier out of the vault.
Li Tianzong didn't say anything about it, as Li Hao was now the true dragon of the Li family and had the qualification to inherit the ancestors' divine soldiers.
If it had been any other direct descendant, he would have had to consider it carefully, as the ancestors' divine soldiers were not only powerful weapons but also symbols of status.
If every direct descendant could choose freely, many of these ancestral treasures would have been lost by now.
After donning his new sword, Li Hao once again immersed himself in cultivation and demon-slaying.
The demons within the city were gradually being eradicated, and with the help of the demon essence and the divine pills from the secret vault, Li Hao's body continued to grow stronger.
He attempted to comprehend the Dao Heart Realm, but during his attempts, his mind would wander, and time would quietly accelerate.
Li Hao learned from Li Xiaoran that this was a normal phenomenon. When Li Xiaoran had entered the Dao Heart Realm, time had quietly sped up by seven or eight years during his process of comprehending the Dao Heart.
Li Hao had only barely begun to immerse himself in this process, and time had already accelerated to the point where he was now seventeen years old.
The impending battle in Dragon City was fast approaching.
"My physical body seems to be touching the limit of the Three Immortal Realm..."
Li Hao assessed his own progress, feeling the refinement of his flesh and the immense power within him, like a viscous sea with no end.