Li Hao, who was waiting for him to speak about the ancestral hall, suddenly heard this last whisper and couldn't help but freeze.
His pupils suddenly contracted, and he looked up in alarm, his body springing up from the chair as if on guard.
However, he only saw the latter looking at him with a gentle smile.
As if to say, don't be afraid, child.
Li Hao was shocked. Li Xiaoran's words echoed in his mind, telling him about the dangers of the Yellow Springs and repeatedly warning him not to reveal his true self and to play his role well.
Li Xiaoran had no reason to harm him.
But the Li Tianzong in front of him had already seen through his disguise and knew that he was not his son!
"How did you..." Li Hao asked, startled.
"Don't be nervous, sit down," Li Tianzong said gently, motioning for Li Hao to sit. "I was muddle-headed and confined in this Yellow Springs, wandering like a sleepwalker and out of control. But during these days, my consciousness has occasionally been clear, and I've remembered many things."
"Child, you carry the bloodline of my Li family. Are you my grandson or my great-grandson?" He looked at Li Hao with eyes full of comfort and expectation.
Li Hao snapped out of his shock at these words, his eyebrows furrowing unconsciously. He paused for a moment before replying.
If he told this grandfather in front of him that he had left the Li family, he would probably be quite sad...
Seeing Li Hao's thoughtful silence, Li Tianzong didn't blame him. He just smiled and said, "Then let's talk about serious matters. I don't have much time while I'm lucid. No matter whose child you are, the fact that my Li family bloodline has produced such a talented descendant is my pride."
"Although I, Li Tianzong, am incompetent, my bloodline is not bad. My descendants are formidable!" As he said this, he smiled.
But soon, his smile faded, and he looked at Li Hao solemnly. "Child, the Yellow Springs is dangerous. Although you have extremely high talent, it will be difficult to guard this place with your current realm, even if you reach the realm of Great Peace. When the city is broken tomorrow, go to the ancestral hall with my fourth brother to hide."
"There, you just need to sleep, and you can leave the Yellow Springs."
Li Hao's heart trembled as he looked at this blood-related grandfather. "You recognized him too?"
A smile played on Li Tianzong's lips, but his eyes held a hint of sadness. "How could I forget my fourth brother? That little rascal used to follow me everywhere when he was young. But this time is different. I'm already dead, and he doesn't need to follow me anymore..."
Li Hao looked at his dejected and bitter expression and asked, "But Fourth Uncle doesn't seem to know that you've recognized him."
Li Xiaoran had never mentioned that Li Tianzong's memory could recover.
"So you call him Fourth Uncle. That makes you my grandson, then." Li Tianzong caught on to the key point in Li Hao's words and immediately looked at him, his eyes shining with interest. "Which of my sons is your father? He must be very capable. Who did he marry? A royal family member? To have given birth to such an excellent son!"
"Is it Xiao Jiu or Xiao Liu?"
"You probably take after your mother. You seem close to Xiao Liu. Is it him?"
"..."
Li Hao gave a bitter smile. Were these the important points?
Seeing Li Hao's silence, Li Tianzong looked a little disappointed. "I know Fourth Brother's temperament. If I acknowledged him, he would definitely come more frequently and might do something even more dangerous just to speak to me a few times. But he won't always end up in the Divine General Mansion when he comes over, nor will he always be able to rely on the ancestral hall to save his life..."
"Now that I've told you this, after you leave, tell Fourth Brother not to come to the Yellow Springs again. You should be the true dragon of the Li family this generation. Use the True Dragon Order to command him not to come back. Remember, child..."
As Li Tianzong spoke, his voice grew softer, but his speech quickened. "...And stay away from me in my usual state..."
He fell silent, and Li Hao stared at him, unsure what to make of this.
Soon, Li Tianzong raised his head again, looking at Li Hao in surprise. "When did you get here? Why are you standing? Sit down and eat. Finish your meal and get some rest."
Li Hao hesitated for a moment, then quietly sat down and continued eating and drinking as if nothing had happened, but he secretly glanced at Li Tianzong.
Compared to before, Li Tianzong's brow was now furrowed with worry, just like his usual self, fretting over the matters of Dragon City.
However, there seemed to be a hint of solemn and heavy killing intent between his brows, like a dark cloud hanging over him, giving Li Hao an ominous feeling.
Without another word, Li Hao finished his meal and took his leave.
When he returned to the city wall, he saw Li Xiaoran approaching.
"So, did he talk about the ancestral hall?" Li Xiaoran transmitted his voice.
"Did he say the same thing to you before?" Li Hao asked calmly.
Li Xiaoran shook his head. "No, I found out myself."
Li Hao's eyes flickered slightly. The investigation was probably done by his blood-related grandfather when he was lucid, leading Li Xiaoran to mistakenly believe that he had discovered it himself.
He did not tell Li Xiaoran about his grandfather at this time.
With the big battle imminent, he was afraid that Li Xiaoran would lose his calm. After all, according to his grandfather, Li Xiaoran and his brothers had a deep bond, and Li Xiaoran had been like a wild woodsman guarding the Yellow Springs for many years, facing dangers so that his eldest brother could be freed.
He was afraid he would disappoint that grandfather. He had failed to become the true dragon of the Li family and was no longer even a member of the Li family.
Restricting the actions of Fourth Uncle, Li Xiaoran, was something he couldn't do, so he could only keep this information hidden to avoid causing more trouble.
"Did you recognize Granddad when you first came in?" Li Hao asked through a voice transmission.
Li Xiaoran nodded. "I almost got killed back then. That's why I told you to hide your identity and not expose yourself."
Li Hao understood. It seemed that when Li Xiaoran first saw his grandfather, his emotions were extremely agitated, and he exposed his identity, which led to the attack.
And the last thing Li Tianzong said, about staying away from him in his usual state, was probably out of concern that Li Hao would give himself away.
Evidently, in his usual state, Li Tianzong, though appearing to be in a constant state, was the general guarding Dragon City, and also his good "father," but if his identity were exposed, he would become extremely vicious and attack them.
This was likely due to the influence of the Yellow Springs.
"The demons are coming again."
Li Xiaoran spoke up.
Li Hao, who had been deep in thought and about to bring up another topic, looked into the distance upon hearing this.
Countless demons were approaching the city once more.
He took a deep breath, his eyes turning icy. "That Candlelight God and the old dragon are probably lurking in the shadows, watching us. If we leave, they might make their move. Why don't we lure them out now?"
Li Xiaoran glanced at Li Hao and nodded. "We can try. Do you want to face them here?"
"Yes, I want to experience the power of the Dao Realm!" Li Hao replied.
"Alright." Seeing Li Hao's boldness, Li Xiaoran decided to accompany him. Geniuses always went against the current. Even though the Great Perfection Realm was terrifying, how could one bring out their potential without experiencing it firsthand?
"I'll come with you, Fourth Uncle!" Li Xiaoran said.
As the wave of demons swept forward, Li Hao and Li Xiaoran communicated through voice transmission. They started by joining forces, manipulating their divine weapons to kill within the wave of demons.
However, as the demon kings within the wave were forced out, the two of them chose to retract their divine weapons after several attacks and instead flew back toward the city with their weapons in tow.
In the distance, within the wave of demons.
The Candlelight God, Lu Yuan, Yin Hun, and the others saw the weapons on the city wall retract, and their expressions changed slightly.
"Damn it, are they backing off already?"
Lu Yuan couldn't contain his anger. "They're members of the Li family, aren't they? Weren't they supposed to defend the city gate to the death?"
"They might also be trying to lure us out." The Candlelight God's face was grim.
"But what if they're really retreating?" Yin Hun furrowed her brows. "After all, there are already those at the Absolute Profundity Realm among the demons now, matching our strength. It's normal for them to feel desperate. There are still seven days left!"
"Let's go! We can't let those guys get away!" The Candlelight God took a deep breath. Whether it was a scheme or an open strategy, they couldn't let this opportunity pass.
The fact that their opponents were giving up on defending the city might mean that they intended to leave the Yellow Springs.
Li Xiaoran had entered the Yellow Springs multiple times but always managed to escape unscathed, evidently understanding some unique secret about this place.
If they wanted to leave, they would have to break through Dragon City and raze the Divine General Mansion!
If their opponents got away first, returning to Liangzhou or even Qingzhou, it would be difficult to take action against them.
Moreover, the strategic deployment in Qingzhou would also change due to the return of these two troublesome individuals, so they had to be dealt with here!
"We can't let that kid get away!"
The Candlelight God quickly transmitted his voice, giving his wife a look. Yin Hun immediately understood and released a black round moon that rose into the sky, emitting endless moonlight that shone into the Abyss of Demons.
Soon, the two powerful beings he had visited earlier noticed the brilliant silver moonlight.
However, only two of them responded, their auras approaching the Candlelight God's group.
The Candlelight God's expression changed slightly. Only two responses? These guys were truly arrogant! They were merely dead souls.
He was annoyed, but he didn't show it. Two should be enough anyway!
"Let's go!"
The Candlelight God growled low, leading his wife and Lu Yuan toward Dragon City.
Their figures spanned the wave of demons, sprinting dozens of miles in an instant, quickly reaching outside the formation.
Bang!
A scorching fist, attached to the Candlelight God's arm, slammed violently into the formation.
The Dragon City formation trembled, illuminating brilliant golden divine patterns that flashed rapidly.
"It actually blocked my Dao Realm Flame Fist!"
Rage flashed across the Candlelight God's face. Such a formation didn't exist in reality. Could it be one of the divine formations from the Imperial Palace?