Chapter 352: Chapter 4 Liangzhou to An_2
Li Hao let out a sigh of relief; it seemed that this granny had been quite lenient in her discipline towards her children when she was younger.
He immediately turned around and started strolling around the courtyard.
First, he needed to familiarize himself with the environment.
As for Skill Points, given the current situation, Li Hao planned to start with poetry.
Painting and playing chess were out of his reach for the moment, and even if the granny was lenient, she would probably have a few words to say if she saw him hunched over a chessboard every day.
The maid followed closely, so Li Hao could only mutter to himself, reciting famous works from his previous life.
Soon, experience notifications popped up in front of him:
[Poetry and Books Experience +28, Poetry and Books Experience +32...]
Although Li Hao had not comprehended these works of Poetry and Books, just softly reciting them, the experience they brought was quite substantial.
In his panel, the way of Poetry and Books was automatically recorded.
And to advance from level 0 to level 1, only 100 points were needed.
Merely muttering a few famous poems, his Poetry and Books experience reached level 2, earning him two Skill Points.
Li Hao immediately used them on Sword Technique, raising it to level 1.
He saved the other point for when he began his cultivation, to record it into Body Refining Techniques and add it then.
At that moment, with level 1 in Sword Technique, the Mysterious Sword Treasure Record he had just recorded went from the uninitiated level to perfection!
A surge of understanding in sword techniques flooded his mind, and Li Hao inwardly cursed, "Not again."
Previously, digesting these things had given him a splitting headache.
This time, his young body once again experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by knowledge.
Li Hao clutched his head, feeling stabbing pains.
The maid by his side was startled by Li Hao's sudden display of pain, hastily calling for a divine doctor and cradling Li Hao, intending to take him back for treatment.
Amidst the jostling, Li Hao's headache grew worse, and it took quite some effort to finally digest it all, leaving him feeling extremely exhausted.
Not only had his body returned to infancy, but it seemed his mental willpower had as well.
Feeling fatigued and unable to hold on, Li Hao fell asleep again.
...
...
While Li Hao and Li Xiaoran entered the Mo River, at the second defense line of Liangzhou, the war reached its most intense moment.
Without the Candle Flame God and Lu Yuan and others to hold the fort, but with Grandmasters of the Great Void Realm, Holy Palaces, Dragon Gate, and other Demon Kings who had already infiltrated Liangzhou from other borders, secretly sabotaging important cities and cutting off their communication.
Hearing about the dire situation at the second defense line, they all hurried over.
The appearance of several Demon Kings made the advantage at the second defense line tense once again.
But at that moment, reinforcements from the Xia Family arrived.
The reinforcements were the older generation of the Xia Family from the Four Stands Realm, coordinating with the people from Qianji Mountain to block any subsequent Demon Kings.
With the Xia Family's arrival, it wasn't long before another Four Stands Realm figure arrived, an elder from the Chen Family.
With the connection of Chen Hefang, as one of the five Divine General Mansions, the Chen Family had always had a good relationship with the Li Family, but due to the great distance, even setting out immediately, they arrived later, crossing hundreds of thousands of miles and numerous large provinces.
With the continuous arrival of reinforcements, an earth-shattering battle broke out at the second defense line.
The 20 battle flags Li Hao had previously dispatched, were now in the hands of a Tianren Sect Grandmaster clad in the Haotian Army armor, brought to the second defense line.
The addition of the 20 battle flags solidified the situation even further, severely wounding a Demon King, nearly killing it.
Outside the battlefield, a figure appeared in the high sky, standing on auspicious clouds.
Lin Wujing's gaze was fixed on that battlefield, his face clouded with gloom; he thought he had come to rescue the suffering, but it turned out he was merely adding splendor to the victorious.
Looking at the unified banners flying majestically on the battlefield, surprise and rage filled his eyes. He had witnessed that young man's tactics himself when contending for the True Dragon at the Li Family. He didn't expect that, in just over a year, the other party could have grown to such an extent.
"Have they gone towards the Mo River?" Lin Wujing asked softly.
A girl looking like a child by his side replied respectfully, "Yes, they've headed in that direction. Just now, our investigation revealed that they have entered that Mo River."
Lin Wujing's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
A moment later, he finally spoke, "You go first."
The little girl, who resembled a boy, nodded her head. Her figure then shimmered and transformed into a verdant bird that darted away into the distance.
"Qingzhou didn't come..."
Lin Wujing turned his gaze toward the ramparts, where the battle raged. There, a figure was locked in combat with the Demon King, unleashing blinding divine light. It was none other than the Duke of the Li Family who had defended Northern Yan for over a decade.
His military rank and achievements were already comparable to the older generation of the Li Family.
And at this moment, the realm of his cultivation level had also climbed to the Four Stands Realm.
Lin Wujing's eyes twinkled briefly before he rushed towards the battlefield without any further delay.
As auspicious clouds appeared, he raised his hand and cast a purple light resembling a lotus platform, striking stealthily at a Demon King from the Dragon Gate.
By the time the Demon King sensed Lin Wujing's presence, it was too late. He was severely wounded by the purple Buddha light and vomited fresh blood.
"Damn you!"
The Dragon Gate Demon King roared in anger. Seeing the situation irretrievably out of control, he felt both furious and frustrated.
Without saying another word, Lin Wujing joined the fight.
For a time, the battle was so fierce that it seemed to tear the heavens and split the earth. Some Dragon Gate Demon Kings managed to escape, calling for their Great Elder, but received no response.
The remaining Demon Kings from the Great Void Realm also learned that their leader and his wife had followed Marshal Haotian and disappeared without a trace, leaving them feeling angry and desperate.
Another day passed.
The royal troops hastened to the rescue, sweeping across Liangzhou, expelling the demons that took advantage of the chaos. Everywhere, there were flames of war.
As soon as the battle outside the second line of defense subsided, Li Xuanli ordered the military forces still capable of fighting to adorn the Haotian banners and move forth to sweep through various cities, driving out the remaining demons from Liangzhou!
Following Li Hao's distraction of the three Peerless Technique Realm Demon Kings, and with reinforcements coming from all quarters, the precarious situation in Liangzhou, which seemed on the verge of annihilation, was finally stabilizing, at least for the moment.
With the demons' rapid assault failing, once the Dayu Divine Dynasty provided support, it became much harder for them to mount a defense, especially with the disappearance of high-ranking Demon Kings like the Candle Flame God and Lu Yuan.
"We've held on!"
Li Xuanli watched the setting sun, blood-red, saw the demon tide's corpses strewing the ground, wiped the blood from his face, and his heart inevitably surged with emotion.
Li Hongzhuang's whole body, clad in bright red armor, appeared even redder from the slaughter. Her hair was matted with flesh and blood, and a smile crossed her face. But soon, as she saw those waving banners, her expression subtly changed.
At that moment, as the battlefield calmed, other surviving warriors held their banners high, waving them, emitting joyous cheers.
Yet, some faces bore grief, as they searched the battleground for the bodies of their friends and loved ones.
Others covered their faces with tears, overcome with sorrow.
Hardened border soldiers, accustomed to the ravages of war, showed little change in expression, just a tinge of joy at having survived a catastrophe.
In contrast, those from noble military families participating in such a significant battle for the first time, their cries of overwhelming joy, and countless figures embracing each other in tears could be heard.
Great joy and great sorrow had caused those young men and women who once dreamed of wandering the world sword in hand to grow up a great deal overnight.
"Dad! I've survived!"
Several elders from noble families searched the battlefield for their descendants with faces filled with terror.
Some, upon the battle's end, crawled from beneath battered and fallen banners, their faces lighting up with joy.
On the battlefield, clusters of survivors mostly gathered around a battle banner billowing in the wind.
It was the deterrent effect of these banners that kept the demons at bay, preventing them from striking them down.
And this was what allowed them to survive.
"We've survived, we all survived!"
"Thank heavens for the military banner's protection. Those demons were as scared as wild beasts are of torches!"
These survivors, having lived through the great battle, profoundly felt the immense sense of security the military banner brought.
The deterrent did not come from the banner itself, but from the two characters inscribed upon it!
Suddenly, the battlefield erupted with various sounds of crying and rejoicing, but among them rose a resounding collective shout.
Tens of thousands called out a single name.
.net
The roar, like the howl of the mountains and seas, reached up to the city walls and fell upon the ears of Li Xuanli and others, causing the joy in their hearts for protecting countless civilians to quickly fade, their expressions turning grim.