The Name of Eternals

Chapter 250: Attack on Youzhou

Li Hao was riding on Zhuhuoshen, who had partially revealed its true form without completely showing it, as Zhuhuoshen's original body was over a hundred meters long, causing significant disturbance with each movement.

Returning to his homeland, Li Hao felt a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. Although the outside world of the Great Wilderness was vastly different from its interior, with the energy in the air noticeably thinner and often referred to as barren land, this "barren" scent of the earth felt deeply rooted in his bones, a familiar breath he had known since childhood.

It was comforting.

This comfort wasn't the kind felt during cultivation but rather a sense of peace and joy for the soul.

His thoughts drifted over the mountains, to the Tianmen Pass, the small fenced courtyard, the elder in the courtyard, and the little girl holding a sword. If time allowed, he would invite the gluttonous woman to join him for a barbecue.

Thinking about those peaceful moments amidst the wind and snow, a slight smile curved at the corner of Li Hao's mouth.

He urged Zhuhuoshen to continue forward.

Using the Qiankun Atlas attribute, Li Hao noted that the number of his markers had dropped from 100 to 96, with only four battle flags lost. These flags were placed on the Tianmen Pass, suggesting it was still secure.

Zhuhuoshen, carrying Li Hao, flew through the air, passing mountains and rivers below. As he passed over vast ravines and lakes, Li Hao sensed the presence of demon auras and made a mental note of these places as potential fishing spots.

He thought about inviting Feng Lao for some leisurely fishing…

At this time, Xiyan, in the form of a red wooden ring around Li Hao's wrist, extended a small red tendril, swaying in the wind like a curious little hair strand, observing the new scenery of the outside world.

"Where are we heading?"

"First, to visit old friends, then to explore this world."

"Okay."

Xiyan extended its small tendril onto Li Hao's arm for a better view of the surroundings.

Li Hao didn't mind, allowing the breeze to brush past him.

"Shall we continue straight?"

Zhuhuoshen asked in a low voice.

"Don't you recognize the way?" Li Hao was surprised.

"No clear memory."

"Not even the area around Liangzhou?"

"No impression of Liangzhou either."

"…"

Li Hao was slightly taken aback, realizing that Yun Ge had erased their memories quite thoroughly.

As the ruler of the Taixu realm, if Zhuhuoshen met its old acquaintances, it might not even remember them.

"Do you remember anything about Taixu?"

"A little."

"How much is a little?"

"I remember a mountain with many small demons who feared me."

"…"

Li Hao nodded, understanding that Taixu had been in seclusion for a thousand years. Some imprints still lingered despite the thorough memory erasure.

"If you don't recognize the way, let's go straight. We should eventually reach Dayu." Li Hao said.

On his return, he encountered some demons. Occasionally, Xiyan would detect rare treasures and herbs, leading them off course, and resulting in them getting lost.

Navigating through the dense mists and similar terrains of the Great Wilderness, Li Hao, not particularly adept at directions, resorted to the most straightforward method—breaking through the mists with his Dao domain, heading in a straight line until they found their way out.

Now, he had to use this straightforward method again, continuing in a straight line.

Once inside Dayu, he could ask for directions and orient himself, having seen the map of the nineteen provinces in the God General's mansion.

Although they had gotten lost, the journey wasn't fruitless.

Besides traveling, Li Hao used the rest periods to gather energy from the surroundings, healing Zhuhuoshen and Yinfuren to restore their strength. This also attracted many demons.

These demons, drawn by the scent of blood, were like mosquitoes, and Li Hao didn't miss the chance to kill them, condensing their blood with his Sacrificial Spirit True Demon Art, and transferring it to Xiyan.

The blood of these demon kings was now ineffective for Li Hao.

His body had reached an unimaginable level of refinement, hitting a bottleneck that would require an extreme method to break through.

Xiyan's body, capable of absorbing blood for nourishment, hadn't lost its unique ability. With Li Hao's help and the treasures gathered along the way, Xiyan's strength had rapidly increased, stepping from the Dao Heart realm into the Fate Defying realm.

Her body had become incredibly tough, comparable to the strength of a five-forged divine weapon.

Among those of the same level, even dragons might not match her resilience.

With the wind howling, Zhuhuoshen carried Li Hao swiftly across the landscape, crossing over ten thousand miles, flying over demon-infested peaks.

These demons, sensing the aura of Zhuhuoshen, a great demon king, were terrified and bowed down.

Along the way, Li Hao subdued any demons in human-inhabited areas, killing them effortlessly. For those that fed on demons or lived peacefully by absorbing energy from heaven and earth, he left them be.

As he advanced, Li Hao began to see battle flags and tattered armor hanging on trees along the ridges, indicating he was nearing Dayu.

Entering the world again, he carried no sword, nor did he need one.

All plants and trees could become his sharpest sword qi, cutting down everything.

"Summer family, huh..."

Seeing a battle flag fluttering on a ridge with the character for 'Xia,' Li Hao realized he was in the Xia family's territory.

After some time, as he saw villages scattered along the borders, he had Zhuhuoshen use a shape-shifting spell to turn from a fiery lion-dragon into a plain-looking mane horse.

Riding a demon king into the country would draw too much attention and turn him into a spectacle.

He descended into an empty area under the cover of night. Soon, a young man on horseback emerged from the wilderness onto a road, riding into a town.

The town had no formations to detect demon intrusions, but Li Hao noticed many households had talismans for warding off demons.

A glance showed these talismans were low-grade, capable of burning and transforming into red light to track small demons but useless against great demons.

The town was simple, but lively with lights and the sound of opera and drums from the central square.

Children with lanterns ran towards the square, laughing and playing.

Li Hao's divine sense covered the town, noticing an empty, dilapidated Demon Ward office near the busy market. The market was littered with vegetable scraps.

The Demon Ward office had only a few officers, dressed casually, reflecting the town's laid-back nature.

Li Hao smiled, taking a demon corpse from his spatial domain and discreetly placing it in the office's storage, then taking a silver chest from a locked room and retrieving a few silver ingots.

A fair exchange, as the demon's head would fetch a good reward.

With the silver ingots in hand, he went to an inn, asking for two sets of clothes and a room.

Currently, Li Hao's attire was formed from his energy, appearing ordinary to avoid attention.

Planning to rest and inquire about directions, he prepared for the next day's journey back to Tianmen Pass.

"Sir, are you here to reinforce Liyang City?"

The innkeeper's respectful tone indicated his perception of Li Hao's unusual aura and the presence of Zhuhuoshen.

"Reinforce Liyang City?"

Li Hao, realizing he was in the Xia family's territory, asked, "Is there a demon attack there?"

The five God General Houses were heavily fortified, making demon invasions rare.

"You don't know?"

The innkeeper was surprised but kindly explained, "Sir, your accent isn't local. If you're here for sightseeing, I advise you to leave. Youzhou isn't safe lately."

"Oh?"

Li Hao's eyes narrowed, "Tell me more."

From the innkeeper, Li Hao learned that Liyang City, a critical pass on Youzhou's frontier, was frequently attacked by demons.

Besides Liyang City, several other border cities in Youzhou were also under demon attack, causing widespread fear.

This small town, though far from Liyang City, had attracted young nobles seeking fame by slaying demons.

"It seems the battle in Liangzhou was just the appetizer. These demons are determined to break with the Dayu Dynasty and fight to the death."

Li Hao sensed an impending demonic storm threatening the entire Dayu Dynasty.

He then inquired about Liangzhou.