Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Heavenly Gate Pass, Cangya City.

The arrays atop the city walls had been fully constructed, with troops of the Bloodsha Army and voluntary martial artists patrolling for any signs of demon activity.

Clad in bright crimson armor, Li Hongzhuang ascended the city walls, her gaze reaching out to the horizon beyond the pass, her eyebrows tightly furrowed.

"It has been two days, why hasn't this child returned..."

Worry filled her heart.

Although those three Demon Kings were wanted by the Monster Suppression Department and most likely had fled their lairs, there was no guarantee they wouldn't be lurking nearby, possibly crossing paths with Li Hao.

They shared deep enmity, and outside the pass lay the demons' domain, perilous in the extreme.

"Li Ye,"

After contemplating for a long time, Li Hongzhuang suddenly spoke up, calling over her deputy.

She planned to dispatch a squad of elite warriors to scout the three Demon Kings' lair.

A middle-aged deputy general walked toward her upon hearing her summons, but all at once, cries of alarm rose in the distance.

The deputy and Li Hongzhuang, as though by reflex, tensed up and turned toward the source of the commotion, and then followed the gaze of the soldiers on the wall to look eastward, outside the pass.

There, against the azure sky, a black dot appeared, expanding gradually, like a floating hill approaching swiftly.

"A demon attack?"

Li Hongzhuang's complexion shifted subtly, and she took a few steps forward, her hand resting on the parapet as she peered intently into the distance.

When her gaze focused and she made out the shape of the approaching shadow, her stern expression froze in place.

"Hao, Hao Er?"

Whoosh!

Li Hao soared toward the interior of the pass, trailing behind him the entangled and dragged bodies of numerous demon corpses, like kites swaying just below him, the fishing lines taut.

Seeing the walls of Cangya City, Li Hao felt a sense of long absence and hastened his flight.

As Li Hao entered the pass, all the soldiers on the walls also saw the frightening sight, shaking with alarm, and they couldn't help but burst out in astonished cries.

"It's Marshal Haotian!"

"These, are these all demons slain by the Marshal?"

"My heavens, all these demons are from the Three Immortal Realms, and there are so many!"

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The soldiers of the Bloodsha Army were somewhat restrained, but the martial artists who had come to reinforce were unceasing with their exclamations.

Great Demons from the Three Immortal Realms were a rare sight even on a normal day, formidable beings that could dominate a region spanning hundreds or even thousands of miles, extremely uncommon.

Yet now, they hung like a net full of fish caught mid-air, all felled by Li Hao's fishing.

Upon Li Hao's return, the entire city received the news, and when they heard that Li Hao had slain numerous Great Demons, everyone excitedly rushed to see.

Li Hao returned to the city, laying the corpses of the demons on the ground that had previously held the Black Bird Demon King's body, and when he saw Li Hongzhuang rushing over, he smiled and said to her,

"Help me look after these, and later, when I have some time, let's have a feast for everyone."

"..."

Li Hongzhuang was stunned for a moment, then puzzledly said, "Did you hunt all these? How far did you go?"

"Not that far, just strolled around outside."

Li Hao answered nonchalantly.

Li Hongzhuang looked at him skeptically. One couldn't encounter so many Great Demons without going 'not that far.'

She suspected that Li Hao had gone beyond the lair of those three Demon Kings, a thousand miles away, to much farther places.

"Did you visit the lair of those three Demon Kings? Is it already empty?" she asked.

Li Hao nodded, "They've all fled."

Li Hongzhuang sighed with relief and said, "It's good that they've run. As long as you're safe, that's what matters. With your exceptional talent, why risk yourself now? After ten years of hard cultivation, you'll most likely step into the Four Stands Realm. It's not too late to adventure then."

She was full of confidence in Li Hao.

To enter the Four Stands Realm ten years later, Li Hao would only be 24, still far ahead and breaking records.

After all, for most people to reach the Three Immortal Realms by the age of 24 would leave them grinning ear-to-ear, considered a top-tier genius.

She had only recently found out that Li Hao's father, her own seventh brother, was also extremely talented, having entered the Immortal Realm at the age of 23. Therefore, to step into the Four Stands Realm at 24 would be astonishing!

When Li Hao heard her words, he couldn't help but give her an odd look.

Was this little aunt cursing him?

Entering the Four Stands Realm only after ten years, what a vicious curse…

"I'm a bit tired, I'll go rest now."

Li Hao said.

Li Hongzhuang caught on and, noticing Li Hao's tattered clothes, her expression changed as she asked, "Are your injuries severe?"

"Quite severe,"

Li Hao replied, "I need to get a good sleep for a couple of days."

"…"

Bidding farewell to Li Hongzhuang, Li Hao returned to the wicker-fenced courtyard and immediately noticed that something had changed in Ren Qianqian, who came to greet him. Her aura seemed transformed, and there was a kind of divine light, contained within her.

"Have you entered the Divine Travel Realm?"

Li Hao said with a smile.

Ren Qianqian was a year younger than him, only thirteen now. Stepping into the Divine Travel Realm at her age was quite a good pace for her cultivation progress.

The vast majority of ninth-grade martial talents, even after joining major forces, would only reach the Divine Travel Realm at fourteen, and at fifteen or sixteen, they'd achieve more.

After that, it all depended on innate talent; those with high comprehension might step into the Heavenly Human Realm at eighteen or nineteen, maintaining their breakneck speed through the realms and could be hailed as geniuses.

Those with lesser talents might need to reach their twenties or thirties, and others, perhaps in their forties or fifties.

"Young Master, you're not hurt, are you?"

Ren Qianqian's voice was low and full of surprise as she looked at Li Hao's ragged clothing, her eyes brimming with distress and urgency.

Li Hao chuckled, handing her the sword, "It's just a minor wound, already healed. Just find me a new set of clothes."

Accepting the Dragon Soar Sword from him, Ren Qianqian, reassured by Li Hao's words and seeing no wounds on his exposed body, finally felt relieved and said,

"I'll go find some for you."

Then she ran back to the room in the courtyard with the sword in her arms.

Li Hao went to the tea room in the courtyard, picked up the teapot and shook it, finding it had water, and drank directly from the spout.

After two days of relentless battle, he felt quite thirsty.

Before long, Ren Qianqian came running back with new clothes. Li Hao took them and then went to bathe.

After washing himself from head to toe and rinsing the blood from his hair, he put on the new clothes and emerged fresh and clean.

The little white fox was waiting outside the door. Li Hao bent down to pick it up and rubbed its fluffy head. Then he went back to the tea room, brewed a full pot of hot tea and said with a smile,

"Feng, care for some?"

"No need for me, there's too many prying eyes in the city right now."

Feng's voice floated into his ears.

Li Hao's smile slightly faded, but after a moment of silence, he picked up the teapot and the tea table, told Ren Qianqian and the little white fox to go about their business in the courtyard, and then took to the skies, landing on a hilltop not far outside the city.

"There's no one around now."

Li Hao set the tea table, personally brewed the tea, and gestured for his guest to sit.

"You, lad."

Feng Boping appeared, drifting like a breeze across, and sat opposite him at the table.

"I certainly don't need your tea," said Feng Boping, but he still lifted the cup, drained it in one gulp, his face beaming with smiles and contentment.

"But I do,"

Li Hao replied.

Then he also filled his own cup, sitting atop the hill with the cold wind blowing, yet his Supreme Body automatically isolated it so that not a bit could penetrate. His true energy enshrouded the teapot, keeping the tea from cooling too fast.

"Spring will soon be here."

Feng Boping gazed out at the expanse of sky and earth, took a deep breath, the warmth of the tea steaming from his mouth.

Li Hao nodded.

With the great battle over, they both had a rare moment of relaxation, drinking together in peace and tranquility.

When the teapot was empty, Li Hao stood up, bid farewell to Feng, and returned to the wicker-fenced courtyard.

After practicing her sword for a while, Ren Qianqian saw Li Hao come back and quickly ran over, asking, "Young Master, did you go far these past two days?"

"Not too far, just a few thousand miles," Li Hao said with a smile, hugging the little white fox that jumped into his arms but noticing the dim red in its eyes was receding, and it seemed a bit livelier than before.

Ren Qianqian was taken aback and then said with a hint of melancholy, "Young Master, you have already climbed to the peak. When will I be able to catch up with your pace?"

Her cultivation was quick, yet compared to Li Hao, there was a vast gap. She feared she would become more distant from him and participate less in his undertakings as time passed.

"No need to catch up,"

Li Hao said with a smile, "I will come down the mountain to see you."

Ren Qianqian paused briefly, then looked up at Li Hao, her eyes sparkling.

Soon after Li Hao's return, numerous martial artists arrived at the wicker-fenced courtyard, voices chattering. Li Hao learned they wanted to serve, to join the army.

But they didn't want to join Li Hongzhuang's Bloodsha Army; instead, they wished to serve under Li Hao's command.

Li Hao did not resist this; the emperor had bestowed upon him the right to recruit soldiers, albeit on a limited scale.

To accommodate these coming warriors, however, was well within his means.

After all, only one or two thousand warriors wished to stay, and of them, merely seven or eight hundred were willing to serve under him.

Li Hao promptly pulled up a stool in the wicker-fenced courtyard. He tasked Ren Qianqian with the registration while he had the warriors demonstrate their talents one by one. Based on their cultivation realms and other skills, he assigned different positions.

Some were suited for reconnaissance, others for spearheading charges, and some for joining the cooking squadron to assist him.

The days passed in these quiet, cheerful moments.