Chapter 113: No Longer Bearing the Li Name

The Palm Seal failed to strike Li Hao. Li Tiangang’s furious expression froze instantly.

A sword stroke—like countless petals drifting through the air—passed before his eyes, momentarily blurring his vision. Other Shore, blooming.

This sword intent was actually affecting him!

Shock flashed across Li Tiangang’s eyes. But as a peak-level Spirit Soul of the Three Immortalities, even though his realm had plummeted, his mental fortitude remained formidable. In an instant, he snapped back to awareness.

Clang!

A flash of cold light shot forth—sudden, deadly.

The shock in his eyes instantly transformed into raging fury.

“Wicked beast!!”

Roaring, Li Tiangang’s Spirit Soul gripped a blade and plunged downward in a devastating slash.

But Li Hao was closer. The sword moved faster.

Li Tiangang barely managed to twist aside. The blade sliced past his shoulder, scraping across his flesh with a metallic clang, carving a deep gash through his body.

Three Immortal Realms—Immortality, Indestructibility, Unfading.

Once one reached the Indestructibility Realm, a single thought could make their flesh immortal—unhurt by blades or swords.

Only because Li Hao wielded a Divine Weapon could he breach Li Tiangang’s body. If it had been a lesser weapon, it would have failed utterly to wound him.

With such power, Three Immortal Realm cultivators could roam freely through the Ten-Thousand Soldier Army of the Frontier, cutting down enemies one by one, even in the midst of a thousand foes.

But if faced with a Sect Master Realm cultivator, though they might be terrifying in one-on-one combat, they’d be torn to shreds the moment surrounded by a full army—pierced like a sieve, reduced to pulp.

Especially the elite troops trained at the Divine General’s Residence—masterless and unstoppable.

Blood streamed from Li Tiangang’s shoulder. His eye sockets widened in shock and rage, fixed on Li Hao. But in the next instant, he raised his hand—seizing the sword’s edge just as it began to retract.

Experience in killing? Li Tiangang had forged it in the Mountains of Corpses and Seas of Blood. His body had developed instinctive reflexes.

Ignoring the searing pain of his palm being sliced open, he slammed a punch straight at Li Hao’s chest.

Li Hao released the sword instantly, but didn’t retreat. Instead, he clenched his sword-hand into a fist and roared—launching the Half-Step Invincible Fist.

This was no longer the standard form. He had fused a surge of sword intent into the strike, transforming his arm into a living blade, merging fist and sword into one devastating blow.

The brutal force of the fist met the sharp edge of sword intent. Li Tiangang’s rough hand, like a fan, tried to crush Li Hao’s arm—but the sword intent pierced deep into bone. A sharp crack echoed through his arm, and his body staggered backward.

One clash. Both men recoiled.

“Human-Heaven Stage!”

Li Tiangang stared at Li Hao, finally realizing—the boy had just, in an instant, shattered the Heavenly Gate and stepped into the Sect Master Realm!

His techniques were no longer bound by form or rules. They were wild, unpredictable, impossible to anticipate.

Li Hao’s eyes were cold. He glanced at the sword in Li Tiangang’s hand. As a Sword Saint, letting go of one’s sword was a disgrace. Had it been any other Sword Saint, they’d have taken the blow head-on, even if it meant crippling injury, rather than surrendering their weapon.

But Li Hao had never been one to follow the ways of a Sword Saint.

Whether sword, fist, or anything else that could strike—use it. Weapons were merely tools. The self was the core.

With that thought, clarity flooded his mind. He had just entered the Sect Master Realm. Though his mind state had broken through, he hadn’t yet forged his own Master’s Path.

But now—he had touched it.

There was no such thing as etiquette in the world. No rules, no boundaries. Etiquette only existed because people created it.

But what of the world itself?

The sun and moon, stars and rivers, flowers and trees—each different, yet harmonious. They coexisted, supported each other.

True fusion wasn’t forced by rigid rules. It came from the natural balance of your lack, my surplus. Not one-sided desire.

Perhaps this was what Second Uncle meant by “Half-Step.”

Just follow your own Half-Step—and that was enough.

Light exploded in Li Hao’s eyes. Vast scrolls of martial arts flooded his mind.

“Why should I be bound by rules? The world is infinite!”

“Countless rivers flow across the land—but all rivers ultimately converge at the Source!”

Li Hao had found his path. Only the first step. But in this moment, he knew exactly where to step next.

A massive, overwhelming aura erupted from his body.

Though swordless, he could still release sword qi—but without the Divine Weapon’s blessing, he couldn’t unleash his ultimate techniques.

So he chose the fist.

His fists were also at the sixth level—no less powerful than sword mastery.

Gazing at the furious, stunned eyes before him, Li Hao felt an overwhelming urge to crush them with his bare hands.

He roared to the heavens. The ground cracked beneath his feet. The sheer pressure caused the earth around him to sink. Every martial technique he knew fused into the strike.

His body surged forward—fists like mountains and rivers.

This was still rooted in the Half-Step Invincible Fist, but only in form. The soul was entirely new.

“Daring beyond measure!!” Li Tiangang snapped back to reality, his eyebrows blazing with divine fire. “I’ve shown mercy—how dare you remain stubborn!!”

His entire body surged with terrifying aura. The power of the Three Immortalities erupted. And, suppressing his injuries, he briefly activated the Unfading Stage.

His wounded body flickered with a momentary revival. His realm seemed to rise—just for an instant.

This would cost him greatly afterward—but the aura Li Hao now emitted left him no choice.

He would crush this bone, even if it meant killing a Sect Master.

“Heavenly Pole!!”

Li Qingzheng and the others arrived, their voices choked with anguish.

Li Tiangang had fused countless supreme techniques, internalized their principles, and forged his own legendary palm technique. Now, it erupted like a blazing sun.

An endless wave of golden light flooded the area, dimming the very streets.

Li Hao’s eyes turned blood-red. His combat techniques surged through his body. He activated the Seven Star Pointing Light formation—doubling his power in an instant.

Though it would leave him exhausted afterward, he had no time to care.

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!”

Li Hao howled like a beast possessed. His body erupted with dazzling true energy. The fusion of Dharma Body, the Divine Power of Object Manipulation, every ounce of strength focused into one single blow.

Like a moth flying into flames, he charged straight toward the radiant golden palm—its aura of annihilation.

Then—engulfed in divine light.

Boom!

The world trembled.

The road split open with terrifying fissures. The violent surge tore apart surrounding buildings.

Li Qingzheng rushed in, swiftly evacuating people from the collapsing houses—saving lives.

The golden palm exploded into chaotic fragments.

All watched in awe. Such power—only Li Qingzheng, Li Xuanli, and Li Fenghua could possibly intervene. Even Lin Wujing might not have been able to stop it. But he stood like a spectator, eyes wide with shock, gazing intently at the spectacle.

The golden light shattered. Li Tiangang spat blood, his body torn apart by the backlash. His clothes were shredded, revealing his massive, scarred torso.

Hundreds of scars—twisted like worms—covered him. These were the marks of a lifetime on the Frontier. Even after achieving Indestructibility, his body still bore such wounds.

To endure this many scars—after fourteen years of endless war, countless battles—was unimaginable.

In contrast, Li Hao’s body was flung like a cannonball, crashing through the air.

The fist—his last, desperate effort—had been shattered before reaching Li Tiangang.

He slammed into the ground hundreds of meters away, finally stopping. Blood filled his eyes. Though newly entered the Sect Master Realm, he had no time to stabilize. He had forced every martial scripture into one strike—far from perfect, but the absolute peak of his current strength.

And yet… he had lost.

The gap in realm, combined with Li Tiangang’s status as a top-tier celestial talent—was too great.

Li Hao turned. There, the figure of Li Tiangang advanced—his entire body wreathed in a terrifying Bloody Aura, as if stepping out of a furnace, a god of flame.

Death loomed.

Li Hao gritted his teeth. He crawled, then summoned his Control-Objects Power, launching himself into the sky—fleeing into the distance.

“Come down!!”

Li Tiangang roared.

His aura surged. He barely reached the mid-level of the Three Immortalities.

Thunderous force slammed down from above, like a hammer from the heavens. Li Hao was crushed from the sky, his spine cracking like dry wood.

He crashed into the ground—but didn’t stop. He crawled out of the crater, charging again.

But Li Tiangang was already there—teleporting instantly before him.

One palm. A crushing strike.

Li Hao flew backward, ribs shattered, splintering like kindling. Internal organs ruptured. Blood gushed from his mouth, and erupted from his seven orifices—eyes, ears, nose, all bleeding crimson.

His face was a nightmare.

“Murdering your brother, killing your father… are you truly ready to fall into madness?!”

Li Tiangang’s voice was ice.

Li Hao struggled to rise, a single thought burning in his mind: Don’t fall. Not here. Not in front of this man.

Seeing the stubborn light in his eyes, Li Tiangang’s fury exploded.

“Your natural talent? What good is it? Don’t forget—you bear the Li name!”

“You are a Li Clan descendant!”

“Every person you’ve seen in the Li Clan—has sacrificed their life for the family. What have you given?!”

“Every meal you’ve eaten, every grain of rice, every servant who serves you—all are gifts of the Li Clan! All built from blood and sacrifice!”

“From the warriors of the Frontier—your great-uncle, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, Fourth Uncle… they gave their lives for this!”

Li Tiangang stepped forward, eyes blazing with fury.

“Do you feel wronged? Yes, I didn’t raise you. I failed you. But did you ever lack for food, clothing, or comfort?”

“Do you know how many boys were born to parents who died in battle? Should they feel wronged too?”

“You claim you ate a Poison Pill? Fine. Let’s say it’s true. So what?”

“You’re alive. You still breathe. You have this natural talent. Why cling to that Divine Blood?”

“You can tell me—I will fight for you. But you want to kill their widows and orphans? Think of your Second Uncle—his heroic soul is already gone. Can he rest in peace?”

Finally, Li Tiangang stood before him, towering, looking down at the broken boy.

“Tell me—what right do you have to act like this?!”

“Is it because of the power you’ve gained—fueled by Li Clan resources?!”

Li Hao listened, trying to suppress the blood flooding his mouth, the shattered organs crushed by the blow.

But the more he tried to hold back, the more it poured out.

He spat out torn internal organs, looked up—and in his eyes, a twisted, cruel smile emerged.

“Why talk so much? Why don’t you just kill me? From now on… I’ll no longer bear the Li name.”

When Li Tiangang said, “Let’s say it’s true—so what?”, Li Hao had already stopped listening.

He didn’t even bother to explain—he’d never received a single cultivation resource from the Li Clan beyond food and clothing.

Why explain? To this man, words meant nothing.

And in that moment, a strange sense of relief welled up in him.

Even gratitude—toward that hidden grudge, the Second Lady who had spent a decade poisoning his Divine Blood.

Thank you.

For the first time, he was glad—glad that his blood carried no trace of this man’s lineage.

He hated it. Every drop. Every breath.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end