Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Liangzhou Western Frontier.

On the towering city walls, a hundred feet high, soldiers clad in dark armor stood in ranks, on strict guard.

Inside the city, numerous large-scale war machines were being assembled, as well as massive dragons, elephants, and flood dragons pulling war carriages as big as small buildings from within the territory, filled with arrows, weapons, and provisions.

In the barracks, everyone had their duties from patrolling to standing watch.

War eagles continually returned to the camp from beyond the borders, bringing back the intelligence they had gathered.

"Strange, these demons have gone quiet."

In the camp, Li Xuanli sat in his commander's seat, frowning in thought.

The intelligence had detected a group of demons 800 li away, retreating towards the east.

This group of demons had been circling the Western Frontier for a long time, launching occasional attacks. Among them lurked three Great Demons of the Three Immortal Realms, acting as if they intentionally provoked them, trying to lure them over the defense line in pursuit, but he wasn't fooled.

Now, these demons had chosen to retreat, which seemed abrupt.

Taking other intelligence into account, could the attacks by demons beyond the Liangzhou Territory really be a feint?

Was their purpose to tie down the military strength of the Li Family?

"Dad."

A figure ran into the military tent, it was Li Wushuang.

Seeing his precious daughter, Li Xuanli's tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and he chuckled lightly,

"I heard that earlier, outside the defense line, you led a team and slaughtered a group of demons. How did it feel?"

At the mention of this, Li Wushuang replied irritably, "They were just a bunch of minor demons."

Li Xuanli chuckled inwardly; he wouldn't have let you engage if he hadn't known they were minor demons.

"Even though they were minor demons, you should not pursue them too deeply. You must understand that in the army, military law is as immovable as a mountain. These cunning demons are beyond your imagination, especially those attacking the border, all controlled by military strategists. You must treat them as sly and cunning ghosts," Li Xuanli instructed.

"I know."

Li Wushuang said, "That's what I came to talk to you about. I got intel from the mouth of one of the minor demons. They are feigning an attack, but in reality, they have already retreated."

"Oh?"

Li Xuanli raised an eyebrow and asked, "How exactly did you get that minor demon to confess?"

"I've been to the torture chamber before, and I learned a few things," Li Wushuang replied.

Li Xuanli fell silent, letting out a wry smile: "What is a girl like you doing in a torture chamber, such a dirty and chaotic place... Nevertheless, this matter still needs to be deliberated. I will investigate further."

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"More investigation?"

Li Wushuang was surprised.

"Of course," Li Xuanli said irritably. "The group of minor demons you were sent to kill was at most in the Divine Travel Realm. How could such low-level demons possibly know anything about battle plans? They're cannon fodder in an actual fight, unless what they know was intended to be known by them from those Great Demons."

Li Wushuang was taken aback, "Dad, are you saying this is a trap within a trap?"

Li Xuanli nodded slightly, "But it's also possible I'm just overthinking it. Either way, I will investigate further. You just go and rest easy."

"Alright then."

Seeing this, Li Wushuang could only nod and leave.

After she left, Li Xuanli's expression turned serious. He pondered for a moment before summoning his personal aide, instructing him to write two letters.

One was to be sent to Qingzhou, insisting that they must guard against demon activities in their area.

The other was destined for Li Tian Gang in the Eastern Frontier.

"If these demons are a decoy, the target must be Qingzhou. If it's a genuine attack, this retreat could be a feint to strike the Eastern Frontier. I wonder how Tiangang is faring..."

His gaze flickered, and suddenly, another thought crossed his mind, prompting him to have the aide write another letter, to be sent to Heavenly Gate Pass.

"That lad, even though he has just repelled three Demon Kings, those Demon Kings harbor resentment, and are likely to unleash their fury on Liangzhou. They might even collude with other Demon Kings to attack Heavenly Gate Pass. Now that Dragon Soar's trail has been revealed, the Holy Palace, holding an old grudge against the Li Family, might send people as well..."

"I must warn him to be careful."

...

Liangzhou, Eastern Frontier war front.

The black stone Great Wall stretched endlessly, completely covering the war front.

Six hundred li outside the city, two figures swooped down with their auras concealed. One of them was clad in a luxurious robe of red gold, with a face fair as jade, handsome and sumptuous.

The other was dressed in a black robe, with a cap covering his entire body, shrouded in shadows.

"That's the place guarded by Li Tian Gang up ahead."

The man in the black robe spoke in a deep voice, "Feng Shan Jun, I know you want revenge, but even if you charge in now, you might not be able to kill Li Tian Gang. This border is protected by Arrays, and with our strength, we cannot easily break through."

"On the contrary, attacking now would alert them, the equivalent of disturbing the grass to alert the snake."

The man in the red gold robe, none other than Feng Shan Jun who had barely escaped with his life from Li Hao,

His eyes flamed with golden fire as he gazed through the void at the military camp within the defense line, his eyes brimming with murderous intent:

"I'm aware. I've promised not to act rashly and jeopardize your plans."

At these words, the man in the black robe slightly relaxed, smiling, "Feng Shan Jun, there's no need to be hasty. A year from now, when our clan's elder emerges, we will certainly trample Liangzhou, and we can take that opportunity to deal with that brat for you."

Feng Shan Jun replied coldly, "Dealing with that brat is one thing; Li Tian Gang must be left for me to torment to death with my own hands!"

"No problem,"

The man in the black robe agreed readily with a smile.

Feng Shan Jun deeply looked at the distant defense lines, feeling a surge of anger in his heart, but he still restrained himself.

There was the Li Family's army; they surely couldn't breach the formation and achieve victory in such a short amount of time.

…

Within Heavenly Gate Pass.

Seven hundred people were willing to enlist in the army to defend Cangya City, to protect this pass.

Li Hao incorporated them into the ranks, registered them, and handed over the household registries to the governor of the Liangzhou Military Department, the Fifth Uncle, Li Xuanli.

He was entrusted with the defense of Liangzhou and also took over as the governor of its military department, with the authority to deploy troops from different cities within the Liangzhou Territory, including the city guards. Under his command, they were to obey unconditionally.

This register needed to be entered and reviewed by him, otherwise, if these soldiers died in battle and Li Hao didn't step in, there would be no one to collect their remains or erect monuments in their honor. They would only be considered as martial artists who died in battle, solitary ghosts.

Not long after returning,

Li Hao received the Star Bureau Official, an elderly man. Accompanied by him, Li Hao started to test the array protecting Cangya City.

Being a frontier city, the level of its array was the Five Mysterious Star Formation, which sealed the fighting spirits of five Great Demons at the peak of the Three Immortals Peak, amplified by the power of the heavens and earth's stars, barely able to match the fighting strength of two Demon Kings from the Tao Heart Realm.

Defending against an attack from a single Demon King was not an issue; they could at least hold out for half a day.

Furthermore, all the soldiers in the city could channel their strength into the array to amplify the power of the fighting spirits further. They could also borrow strength from the array to enhance their own abilities, significantly increasing the commanding officer's fighting power.

"Please, Commander, conduct the inspection."

As the array was activated, Li Hao saw the shadowy outlines of five Great Demons' fighting spirits emerge in various parts of the city, at the four city walls and the city center.

These fighting spirits were the consumables of the array and the accumulation of the Royal Family's battle achievements over hundreds of years.

Li Hao flew out of the city and saw the entire city covered by the array; from any point of attack, the five demons could use the power of the array to instantly reach a location and launch an attack simultaneously.

"Then I'll just give it a simple try,"

Li Hao said.

Whether the array had any flaws would depend on whether the fighting spirits could exercise their corresponding combat power.

Li Hao didn't use the Dragon Soar Sword but instead threw a punch with his bare hand.

The power of the punch drew from the surrounding heavens and earth, forming a gigantic fist imprint that pressed down mightily.

At the city walls, everyone initially had faces full of excitement and anticipation, but as the punch continued to expand, their expressions turned solemn and tense.

Roar!

The five demons roared and charged forward.

Yet, under the suppression of the punch, the mighty demons appeared like tiny insects against a mountain, unable to halt the punch's momentum; they were pushed back step by step.

Boom, boom, boom!

All five demon fighting spirits crashed against the array's golden shield, causing ripples to undulate like wavy light, making the array's color appear much fainter.

Li Hao quickly retracted his power and flew back.

The Star Bureau Official stared blankly at Li Hao before he finally reacted and asked,

"Commander, did you use your full strength?"

"No,"

Li Hao shook his head; it was just a casual punch, using only thirty percent of his strength.

The Star Bureau Official was slightly stunned, then furrowed his brow, looked around at the array patterns on the city walls, and murmured, "That shouldn't be..."

Li Hao also felt that the five Great Demons shouldn't be so weak. He immediately comforted the old man, "Senior, no need to rush. Take your time and check again. Maybe there's a small issue somewhere."

The Star Bureau Official pondered and agreed.

Even though Li Hao's attack was intimidating and powerful, he felt that even if Li Hao had reached the Four Stands Realm, he shouldn't have been able to suppress the five demons so easily. There must have been an issue with the transmission of power in the array.

"Apologies for the trouble, Commander. I will investigate further,"

he said.

Xia Xiang Lan suddenly felt guilty; was it the secret pattern she had engraved earlier that caused the problem?

After bidding farewell to the Star Bureau Official, Li Hao found the martial artists who had recently enlisted and instructed them to purchase a batch of cloth to make military flags—the more, the better.

The next day,

Li Hao received a message from the Governor of the Liangzhou Military Department; the seven hundred recruits had passed their enrollment.

Additionally, he received a letter from the Fifth Uncle filled with concern, cautioning him to be very careful of the Demon King's retaliation.

Li Hao sighed and put away the letter, asking Ren Qianqian to place it in the wooden box in his room.

That afternoon, a bird demon arrived in front of the pass, requesting to see Li Hao from the guards.

A visit from demons was something Li Hao hadn't expected, and he immediately called for an audience.

The bird demon transformed into the likeness of a seven- or eight-year-old child, dressed in plain orange clothes. As the soldiers led the child into the bamboo-fenced courtyard, the child glimpsed a young girl practicing swordplay and a boy casually sketching on the opposite bench.

At the boy's feet, a little white fox lay lazily, glancing at him.

The boy flinched inwardly at the sight and approached Li Hao with a nervous expression:

"Com, Commander."

"From Tianji Palace?"

Li Hao continued sketching the ghastly corpse in the distance, gathering Painting Experience, without turning his head, he simply replied.

With his Divine Soul seated high in the sky and overseeing the surroundings, Li Hao could see the ghastly bloated body of the ghost mother from beyond the courtyard's fence.