The chaotic and fiery battlefield was suddenly doused by the pouring rain.
The torrential downpour, combined with the demon horde being cut off at the rear by the rain of swords, left them unable to continue their charge. With the addition of the sword energy from the battlements, the previously retreating defenders suddenly found their footing.
On the walls of the city, which had been overwhelmed by the demon tide, the Xia family's war banner flew once more.
The pressure on the soldiers eased significantly, and with the demons in front of them slain, there was even a momentary respite from the onslaught.
They stood stunned, their eyes filled with disbelief at the sudden turn of events.
"This... this is..."
"Who is directing the swords? Who is saving us?!"
"Are we... saved?"
All the soldiers, whether from the military or the aristocratic families, as well as the temporarily drafted sects from the Jianghu, stared blankly at the area outside the defensive line.
Beyond the line, hell had unleashed itself. Countless sword auras pierced through, and the demons wailed as they fell.
The great demons of the Three Immortals realm, with their massive bodies, tried to flee, but like moths struggling in the rain, they too were soon enveloped by the sword rain and rapidly fell, never to rise again.
"Who is that...?"
In the center of the second line of defense, the Grand Marshal Xia Changkong, who was commanding the battle, was stunned. He looked up, and above the flowing river of sword energy, he saw a young man sitting atop a fiery demon. The youth's body seemed to be enveloped in a mist of snow-white energy, visible to the naked eye, as he channeled it towards the endless sword energy in the sky, causing it to sweep down in a torrent.
Standing beside the young man were the head of the Xia family and his brother.
"Head, Yuan Wu..."
Xia Changkong was slightly dazed. Had the head of the family come here personally? What about the Master of the Voracious Valley?
He glanced towards the rear of the demon tide but saw no signs of activity there.
On the battlefield, only a few elders from the Voracious Valley remained, fleeing into the distance, pursued by long dragons of sword energy.
Soon, one of the elders, already injured, chose to stand his ground, thinking that the sword energy dragons did not seem too powerful. However, he quickly crumbled, as if his soul had been extracted, and fell rapidly.
The demons of the Voracious Valley were known for their violent bloodlust and robust physical bodies, not far behind the dragon race. They relied heavily on their physical might in battle, but the 1% fatal attribute made no distinction between them and ordinary demons.
Li Hao watched the demons fall like rain, his expression calm and unchanged. When the battlefield finally quieted, he retracted the sword tide.
"You two, the remaining stragglers will be left to you. I'll take my leave."
Li Hao spoke to Xia Linglong and the other man beside him.
The two of them came back to their senses, realizing that in just a brief moment, the thousands upon thousands of demons on the battlefield had been almost completely annihilated! It was too terrifying!
Was this the power of the Grand Peace realm? It exceeded their imaginations.
"General Haotian, rest assured. We'll take care of the rest and send troops to aid Qingzhou immediately!"
Xia Linglong quickly responded, understanding that in the face of such a powerful existence as Li Hao, their family's troops were of little significance. They could, at best, help rescue the villages and towns that had fallen across Qingzhou.
After all, while Li Hao was strong, it was impossible for him to tend to all of Qingzhou in a short time by himself.
"Mhm."
Li Hao nodded, not refusing their offer.
He gently patted Candleflame's head as a signal, and the beast's body was enveloped in flames. With hooves as sturdy as a qilin's, it galloped across the battlefield, leaving a trail of fire in its wake as it sped towards the distance, departing from the bloody scene.
On the defensive line, numerous generals, heads of aristocratic families, and grandmasters from the sects of the Jianghu looked up, their eyes fixed on the figure riding away on the fiery demon. They would forever remember this scene.
They did not know who the young man was, but they knew the Xia family would provide them with answers.
...
...
Qingzhou, Qingzhou City.
What was once a bustling city was now on high alert. Civilians were restricted from leaving their homes, and the streets were cleared of stalls, leaving only wide avenues for the rapid movement of troops.
On the walls of the city, golden arrays shone, holding back the vast demon tide that gathered outside.
On the battlements, soldiers of the Li family and the Qingzhou city guard gathered, their faces grave.
Days of continuous battle had worn them thin, but none dared relax.
Three days ago, intelligence from outside, obtained through the Li family's secret techniques, revealed that more than half of Qingzhou's land had fallen.
Over a hundred cities had been shattered and occupied by the demons. Qingzhou, the headquarters of the Li family, suffered a devastating blow not seen in thousands of years.
When the surviving cities received this news, many found it hard to believe, thinking it was a mistake. But as refugees poured in from other occupied cities and towns, they realized the severity of the situation in Qingzhou.
Now, as demons swept through the land, casting an unprecedented shadow of gloom and fear, every fortress was on edge, braced for disaster.
However, compared to the rest of Qingzhou, which was already engulfed in flames of war, Qingzhou City found itself surrounded on all sides, perilously close to annihilation.
Upon the city walls, LiMuxiu and Li Xiaoran stood guard, their once black hair now white, their faces etched with wrinkles, and their countenances aged by a decade or more.
The weight of two devastating blows had left them despondent and broken.
Over a month ago, when Li Tianzong's soul perished, they had journeyed to the River of Extinction, not to seek immediate vengeance, but to secretly investigate. There, they discovered to their dismay that the demonic forces gathered beyond the river far exceeded their expectations.
Both the Dragon Gate and the Holy Palace had mobilized a significant portion of their strength, with their leaders personally overseeing operations, all for the sole purpose of annihilating Li Hao.
Instead of acting rashly, LiMuxiu and Li Xiaoran seized the opportunity to dispatch troops to attack the Dragon Gate's lair while it was left vulnerable.
It was a rare chance, as the Holy Palace's base had already been eradicated by the Qing Prince, leaving the Dragon Gate's nest defenseless.
Through the Tianji Tower, they gathered intelligence on the Dragon Gate's hideout and reported it to His Majesty. Subsequently, the Li family and the royal family joined forces and marched to destroy it.
After over half a month of relentless fighting, they obliterated the Dragon Gate's lair. Upon receiving this news, the Dragon Gate's leader outside the River of Extinction flew into a rage and advanced his plans to attack Qingzhou, leading his forces directly toward Qingzhou City.
However, Li Xiaoran and Li Muxiu had already learned of Li Hao's departure from the River of Extinction, so they didn't remain stationed there. Instead, they returned to Qingzhou in advance, predicting that once the Dragon Gate discovered the destruction of their lair, they might retaliate against Qingzhou. Thus, the two of them returned to bolster the city's defenses, thwarting the Dragon Gate and Holy Palace's nocturnal rapid assault on Qingzhou. Not only were they unable to breach the city, but their true intentions were also exposed.
After their failed attempts in Liangzhou and the covert operation on Qingzhou City, the Dragon Gate and Holy Palace abandoned subtlety and, after much deliberation, rallied demons and monsters from all directions for a grandiose offensive on Qingzhou.
And so, an enduring, brutal battle commenced.
Both sides suffered innumerable casualties over the course of the month-long conflict, but ultimately, Qingzhou fell.
The Li family retreated, abandoning most of the fortresses in Qingzhou, until they finally reached Qingzhou City, their last line of defense.
Reinforcements sent by the Imperial City were intercepted and decimated by another group of demons along the way, preventing them from ever reaching Qingzhou.
The besieging demonic forces consisted not only of the Holy Palace and Dragon Gate but also included the formidable forces of the Great Void, who remained stationed outside the River of Extinction, awaiting the return of their master. Additionally, other elite demon factions had joined the fray.
When they sought aid from the Xia family in Youzhou, they learned of the attack on the Xia family by the Gluttonous Valley. Evidently, the Gluttonous Valley's actions were intended to restrain the Xia family, one of the Five Divine Generals' Mansions, which, despite their internal strife, would invariably lend assistance in times of crisis. And of the five mansions, the Xia family was the closest to the Li family.
The Gluttonous Valley's assault prevented the Xia family from dispatching reinforcements to Qingzhou, severing yet another lifeline.
In recent days, distress signals sent from Qingzhou to various allies had gone unanswered, as if the region were isolated and engulfed by the demonic hordes.
The assembled demonic forces were even greater in number than those amassed in Liangzhou, indicating their unwavering determination to raze Qingzhou to the ground.
Retreating from the border, they fought and lost, discarding their armor and weapons along the way. Now, they had fallen back to Qingzhou City, their final stronghold.
If this fortress fell, only the Divine General's Mansion would remain, a lone ship in a vast ocean, poised to sink at any moment.
Li Xiaoran's expression was bleak. The relentless month-long battle had brought him and Li Muxiu to the brink of death on more than one occasion.
The Dragon Gate's leader had revealed his true strength, advancing from the Half-step Path Realm, as recorded in the intelligence reports, to the Grand Peace Realm.
As for the leader of the Holy Palace, they had previously attained the Grand Peace Realm, but their confrontation with the Qing Prince in Yanbei had left them gravely injured, causing their cultivation to regress. They had not yet recovered and were currently only comparable to the Half-step Path Realm.
If not for Li Muxiu's own Half-step Path Realm and his ability to wield the Path Domain to hold off the enemy, they would have surely perished long ago.
With his Half-step Invincible Fist and Half-step Path Domain, Li Muxiu fought the Dragon Gate's leader to a standstill, greatly slowing Qingzhou's demise. Otherwise, the region would have fallen a month ago, and Qingzhou City would have been reduced to ruins.
Nevertheless, they now found themselves in a desperate situation.
"Their target is our Li family. They aim to have us removed from the ranks of the Divine Generals' Mansions!"
After a month of relentless battles, Li Xiaoran had discerned the demons' true intentions: to annihilate the Li family and conquer all of Great Yu, starting with Qingzhou.
That would be the optimal time to strike the Li family.
However, it seemed that the demons' plan had been accelerated.
LiMuxiu's eyes turned deep and thoughtful as he slowly regained his strength. Earlier, outside the formation, he had fought and defeated the head of the Holy Palace, but the battle had exhausted him greatly.
The leaders of these two major forces had taken turns wearing him down, leaving him utterly fatigued.
"Still no response from Mount Wuliang?" LiMuxiu asked, his face gloomy as he looked towards the west.
There, a dense horde of demons covered the mountain, an overwhelming sight that pressured those within the city. But his gaze remained unwavering, piercing through the demon horde as he gazed into the distance.
Mount Wuliang lay in that direction.
The Li family had a close relationship with Mount Wuliang, offering incense and worship regularly. Even now, Li Qianfeng was a personal disciple of the Buddha there.
However, there had been no response to the plea for help sent to Mount Wuliang.
It was unclear if the message had been received or if Mount Wuliang was also in trouble.
"Notify Tian Gang. I can't hold on much longer. The Li family is now at its last stand. It's time to call them back," LiMuxiu said, his gaze turning inward as he realized they couldn't rely on Mount Wuliang. He took a deep breath, and his eyes turned sharp and determined.
Li Xiaoran was slightly taken aback, his expression shifting momentarily before he fell silent.
He knew that the situation had indeed reached a critical point for the Li family.
The glory of the past must now be defended.
If the ancestral hall were to fall, the scattered bloodline would be meaningless.
The thousand-year legacy of the Divine General's Mansion was not just about bloodline but also about heritage. Once that heritage was destroyed, even if the bloodline remained, it would be impossible to rise again.
After all, success often relied on timing and opportunity, which couldn't be replicated.
"I understand," Li Xiaoran said, giving his second brother a nod before turning and rushing towards the Divine General's Mansion within the city.
Soon, he descended like a stream of light, landing in the mansion.
In the Mountain and River Court within the mansion, several figures gathered in the hall, led by a tall and sturdy figure—Li Tian Gang.
Seated to his right was a female general in battle armor—his wife, Ji Qingqing.
In addition to them, He Jianlan, Li Xuanli, Gao Qingqing, and the other court ladies were also present.
Unlike their usual elegant attire, these ladies were now clad in battle armor, their faces stern as if ready to rush to the battlefield at any moment.
"No response from Mount Wuliang..."
"...and no word from the Sword Saint of the Southern Sword Lodge..."
The atmosphere in the hall turned cold and solemn.
The connections and influence of the Divine General's Mansion seemed to have suddenly vanished, leaving them without any news or support.
However, aside from these two major forces close to the Li family, many other sects and clans who had received the Li family's kindness in the past had rushed over to help. Unfortunately, most of them lacked powerful experts above the Four Establishments realm, and even Three Immortals realm cultivators were scarce among them.
What they desperately needed now were Invincible realm experts to aid LiMuxiu and share his burden.
After all, he was facing the leaders of two major forces alone, one of whom was in the peak Grand Peace realm. It was a daunting task, and he could collapse at any moment.
A swooshing sound echoed as Li Xiaoran appeared outside the hall. Without pausing, he strode in, his gaze sweeping across the grim faces of the assembled family members. He looked directly at Li Tian Gang and said, "Second Brother says to prepare for a sacrifice. Using the ancestral bloodline, we will call back all the scattered members of the Li family."
"This battle will determine our survival. If we fail, the Li family will be wiped out!"
His eyes turned deep and cold as he continued, "Success or failure hangs in the balance, and Second Brother can't hold on much longer!"
Hearing Li Xiaoran's words, the hall fell silent, but there was no shock on the faces of the listeners, only sorrow.
The fall of Qingzhou and the dense horde of demons outside its walls had made it clear that this moment had been inevitable.
When the ancestral bloodline was invoked, all members of the Li family would sense the clan's peril. This was a call to arms, a cry for help that would reach all the scattered branches of the Li family, descendants of the thousand-year legacy of the Divine General's Mansion.