Chapter 130: They've All Come

"Here they are."

Li Hongzhuang’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though she had expected this, the moment the Demon Beasts truly arrived, her fingers instinctively tightened around the hilt of her sword.

The demonic aura surged like a storm-laden cloud, utterly unrestrained, blanketing the area in oppressive darkness. Outside the camp, four colossal figures stood firm—towering, immovable. A cold wind swept across, dissipating within a hundred paces of them, unable to reach even close.

Li Hongzhuang locked eyes with Li He, stepped forward one pace, subtly shielding Li Hao behind her.

Though they’d argued earlier, Li He would not forget his duty.

And Li Hongzhuang, as Li Hao’s aunt by blood, felt it was her natural responsibility to protect him—no child should be allowed to die here.

Li Hao didn’t intend to rely on their protection. He handed the Combat Scripture to Ren Qianqian beside him, then gently stroked the head of his little white fox, calming it.

Then, he bent down, picked up the pig tusk sword at his feet. The massive blade, taller than he was, gleamed like a crescent moon gate.

"Two Unfading Stage, two Unbroken Realm!" Li Hongzhuang sensed the overwhelming demonic energy radiating from the four beasts. She recognized two of them—she’d fought them before, and they had attacked the camp previously.

"Li He," she asked, "can you handle one Unfading Stage?"

Li He was only at the Unbroken Realm, not yet at Unfading—but he practiced the Li Clan’s most elite Combat Scripture, had refined his True Qi through countless resources. His cultivation level surpassed most of his peers, and unless facing a demon with a powerful lineage, he had little to fear.

"I can hold it off," Li He said seriously. "But killing it? That’ll be difficult."

"Fine." Li Hongzhuang glanced at Li Hao, who had stepped beside her. "Li He and I will draw the two Unfading Stage beasts away. You keep them delayed. When I’ve finished one, I’ll come to reinforce you. And be careful—there’s a possibility of hidden ambushes."

"Hidden place has two ambushers," Li Hao said, voice calm but shocking.

The air around his eyes darkened, a swirl of black qi pulsing beneath his pupils. Since mastering the Cultivation Bright Jade True Demon Technique, this body cultivation art had refined every fiber of his being—including his eyes. Now, his irises burned with a faint crimson aura, capable of piercing through misty demonic illusions and detecting hidden figures through their demonic aura.

Li Hongzhuang and Li He froze. Their expressions darkened instantly.

Six Demon Beasts?

If that was true, they couldn’t split up—otherwise, they’d be picked off one by one.

Li Hongzhuang turned back, gazing toward the distant graveyard. In her eyes, sorrow flickered.

She’d known this day would come. She just hadn’t expected it to arrive so soon.

She couldn’t… stay here with her brothers any longer.

"Prepare to retreat," she whispered, drawing in a deep breath of Qi. "I’ll cover your escape. Li He, watch over Hao'er."

"Yes!" Li He responded without hesitation.

"No," Li Hao said, shaking his head. He dragged the pig tusk sword behind him, its jagged edge carving a deep, straight gouge into the earth.

"I came to garrison this city. You can leave. But I won’t."

"Haoyu!" Li Hongzhuang’s voice cracked with shock and fury. "What kind of nonsense is this now? Your life matters more than pride!"

Li He wanted to speak, but at that moment, the four Demon Beasts outside the camp could no longer contain their impatience. They advanced toward the camp beyond the frontier pass, each step heavy with menace.

"Red Makeup," said one, a massive azure-blue peacock, its body shifting mid-stride into the form of a graceful nobleman. He strolled forward with a fan in hand, elegant and poised. Yet behind him, his demonic aura remained thick, swirling above his head like a phantom of his true form—still that enormous, majestic peacock.

Li Hongzhuang’s eyes turned icy. She stepped forward. "Fine. I’ll be your lady—if you first kill that ugly beast beside you. A proper dowry."

Beside the peacock stood a monstrous toad, its body as large as a mountain. It had a long, coiled tail like a scorpion’s, swaying like a serpent ready to strike.

The toad’s mouth split open in a grotesque grin. "You’re dead. I’ll chew you into pieces!"

Its mouth was lined with rows of sharp, needle-like tusks, countless and impossibly dense.

The peacock tilted his head, amused. "I think Red Makeup’s suggestion is reasonable, Earth Brother. Why not oblige?"

"Get lost!" the toad roared, spitting a gob of thick saliva that splattered onto the peacock’s sleeve. The nobleman merely flicked his wrist, brushing it away with a casual motion.

"Enough delay," growled a massive black-furred bull, its voice deep and gruff. "I heard the human youth who killed Chi Hu Jun was just a little runt. And he even took down the Six-Tusked Drowned Boar."

Li Hao felt the weight of six pairs of eyes lock onto him—pressing, suffocating.

But before he could react, a red blur shot in front of him.

Li Hongzhuang stood between him and danger, her slender frame clad in crimson battle armor, sharp as a spear.

"Chi Hu Jun was injured by me. He just picked up the credit. If you’ve guts, come at me!" she snarled.

"Don’t rush," the toad cackled. "You’re not going anywhere today."

"Once I break her limbs, I’ll make you my lady. Long arms and legs—so ugly!"

"You’re the one with short legs. Don’t complain about my lady’s looks," the peacock smiled.

The toad glared, then spat a massive, red-hot shadow toward the three of them—a monstrous, burning tongue like a branding iron.

Li Hongzhuang’s pupils contracted. She swung her sword with a violent slash.

Clang!

The blade struck the monstrous tongue, sparking like metal on metal. The tongue recoiled, and the toad leaped forward with terrifying speed, its limbs exploding with power. The ground beneath it cracked and sank like it had been struck by a meteor.

Dust rose in a storm, but the peacock stood untouched, waving his fan slightly, shielding his face.

"Ten Elephants Demon Technique!" the toad bellowed.

Its demonic aura condensed into the form of a colossal elephant, its massive body charging forward with crushing force.

Li Hao, Li Hongzhuang, and Li He all leapt back—no way could they withstand such raw power.

【Fishing Experience +412】

A character panel flashed before Li Hao’s eyes.

He didn’t flinch. The toad’s front limb had just brushed against the invisible fishing line he’d set—spirit energy woven into a hidden thread. It was now in the fishing stage, not yet hooked, but already yielding experience.

Even a failed catch gave experience based on the target’s cultivation level.

And this toad was only just beginning to be caught.

Yet already, over four hundred experience points—just from the first contact.

If he could successfully hook a Three Immortal Realm Great Demon, the reward would be astronomical.

Li Hao’s eyes gleamed.

At the same time, the toad sensed the strange, fine thread wrapping around its limb—something sharp, like a sword, yet invisible. It mistook it for a human technique.

"ROOOOAR!!"

The toad roared, unleashing a sonic wave that tore through the air. Li Hongzhuang and Li He’s faces flushed crimson, blood bubbling in their throats. Pain surged through their bodies.

But Li Hao—suddenly, he entered the Heart of the Three-Stage Dao Realm of Sound.

He understood music, melody, and resonance. In that instant, he unleashed every pore of his body, every meridian, into a roar of his own.

HOOOOOOOONNNN!!

His roar was like a tiger, like a true dragon, like the wind itself roaring through the bones of the world.

The demonic sound barrier shattered. His voice overpowered the toad’s, drowning it out in an instant.

The toad, caught off guard, froze—momentarily stunned.

Li Hongzhuang and Li He snapped back to awareness, stunned.

Had it not been for Li Hao’s ability, they’d have been overwhelmed.

And with five other demons lurking in the hidden ambush?

"Die!" Li Hongzhuang and Li He roared in unison, their killing intent blazing.

The toad was now isolated—frontline probe, but they couldn’t afford to wait.

Li Hao swung his sword, the blade slicing like an avalanche. Snowflakes fell faster than ever, plummeting like a collapsing mountain, screaming through the air as they slashed across the toad’s mouth.

Clang!

The sword struck its tusks, producing a metallic ringing. The soft tissue inside its mouth was raked with tiny cuts.

If this had been a Human-Heaven Stage demon, it would’ve been torn apart. But the toad was at the peak of the Unbroken Realm—its flesh like iron. Only minor wounds.

Li Hao, recalling his battle yesterday against Three Immortal Realm demons, felt a chill. The toad’s weak points weren’t its mouth.

That soft, pink flesh was tougher than the hide of most Three Immortalities demons.

After the slash, he seized the moment—while Li Hongzhuang and Li He pressed the attack—to retract the fishing line.

Fifth-Level Fishing Dao. He had mastered many fishing techniques, including the Hidden Line. Now refined to a higher level, the toad—despite being Three Immortal Realm—hadn’t sensed the thread.

The spirit-energy fishing line, like a divine iron chain, wrapped around the toad’s front leg, extending toward its eyes, mouth, and other vital points.

At the tip, a monstrous hook—formed from a fusion of dozens of smaller hooks welded together—waited.

Once embedded, it would tear through flesh and bone, ripping out a massive chunk.

Li Hao remembered his Second Uncle’s words: "Even a Three Immortal Realm demon can be pulled open like a mouth."

He never thought he’d be the one doing it.

"What in the world is this?!" the toad roared in fury.

It felt the fine thread binding its limb—sharp as a blade, cutting into its flesh.

And it couldn’t even see it. Only a faint, translucent shimmer. No aura, no trace.

Worse—this thing was crawling up its body like a living snake.

A deep, primal fear rose in its heart.

"Lady, come here!" Li Hongzhuang lunged toward the toad, sword raised.

But the peacock blurred forward, intercepting her. His fan unfurled—revealing it was a divine weapon—clashing against her sword with sparks flying.

Li Hongzhuang’s eyes flashed with cold fury. She launched a relentless assault, driving the peacock back.

He tried to mock her, but her rage left him no room to speak. He retreated, face grim.

Meanwhile, the massive bull demon charged forward.

It was another Unfading Stage demon, its horns wreathed in purple demonic mist, charging toward Li He.

But as it leapt, its front hoof struck something—causing it to stumble.

"…What?"

A shallow cut appeared on its hoof. The bull looked down, furious, scanning the ground—but saw nothing.

It remembered the Dragon Lord’s warning. It didn’t dare ignore it.

Suddenly, its body erupted in black light. The earth trembled. Jagged spikes of stone shot up like a storm of thorns, sweeping across the camp.

Tents collapsed. The ground cracked.

Li Hao felt the second fishing line snap—unfazed.

He couldn’t fish two Three Immortal Great Demons at once. The line he’d used was weak. His full focus was on the toad.

He guided the hook upward, drilling into the toad’s skin like a drill, leaving tiny blood spots. It climbed toward the eye.

The toad felt it.

It saw the half-meter-wide, jagged hook—its mind reeled. What kind of attack is this?!

A distant memory surfaced—something from thousands of years ago.

It had once been a small frog in a swamp—almost caught by a scholar-like man with a fishing rod.

"Damn it!!"

The toad roared, its ancient memory screaming at it.

It had grown into a Three Immortal Realm demon—how dare someone fish it?!

It wasn’t some weak swamp frog anymore!

With a violent leap, it flung the hook away, its demonic force blasting it off.

Li Hao’s face tightened. He’d expected this. The hook was too exposed—this was hard fishing.

The beast wouldn’t bite.

"Should’ve wrapped it better," he realized.

He quickly retrieved the bodies of yesterday’s fallen demons—some weighing dozens of tons—and hurled them at the toad.

With his True Qi, he shaped the fishing hook into a needle-like form, embedding it within the corpse before tossing it.

A sharp plink—the hook pierced the toad’s flesh, sinking in just a few centimeters.

Not deep enough.

Even with Fifth-Level Fishing Dao mastery, he was only Human-Heaven Stage.

He’d already pushed the limits—making the line nearly unbreakable.

"Die!!"

The toad roared, sensing the intruder. It spat a flood of rotten matter—acidic, stinking, burning the ground black.

Li He tried to reinforce, but the earth spikes blocked him.

He was forced to dodge, his face pale.

At that moment, the fourth demon attacked—a massive, rotting corpse crawling with worms and black centipedes.

It raised a hand, releasing waves of ghostly souls.

Li He swung his sword—cutting through the spirits, as if they weren’t there.

But they clung to him, biting through armor.

He gasped in horror—this was a deadly Spirit Soul attack.

He quickly summoned his own spirit soul,凝聚 Divine Might into a flame, coating his sword.

Only then did he tear through the spirits.

But more poured out—endless, relentless.

Two great demons, working together, quickly cornered him.

Then—from the hidden place—the two ambushers struck.

One lunged like a cheetah, moving with terrifying speed.

Li He barely heard the whistle of air—his pupils contracted.

He turned—only to see a monstrous maw, wide as a cave, snapping shut on him.

His blood froze.

But at that instant—the charging beast crashed into something invisible.

Its body twisted, pulled upward like a rope had caught its head.

It soared into the air, spinning wildly.

Its eyes widened—looking up.

High above, in the clouds, a faint figure sat calmly, as if fishing.

Fishing the world.

"Got it!"

Feng Bo Ping chuckled softly.

This was better than killing outright.

He could’ve crushed the demon with a single hand—no challenge.

But setting the hook before the battle, luring it in, watching it struggle—that was the real thrill.

Killing demons was easy.

Outsmarting them, playing the game—that was true satisfaction.

Feng Bo Ping loved the hunt.

He didn’t pull hard.

Instead, he pulsed the fishing line, guiding the hook deeper into the demon’s body.

The hook’s soul force locked onto its spirit soul—trapping it.

"Lift!"

He commanded.

The line retracted—dragging the wolf demon into the sky.

Internal organs strained. Bones cracked.

The hook felt like it was embedded in every meridian, every bone—like being roasted on a spit.

The demon screamed in agony, terror flooding its mind.

"Please… forgive me, elder!" it begged, trembling.

It had known humans might have hidden traps—after all, they’d dared kill Chi Hu Jun.

But it hadn’t expected a Four Foundations Realm elder to be waiting.

"Fishers never return empty-handed," Feng Bo Ping said calmly. "Once the hook is cast, it must catch."

The demon didn’t understand—but it feared.

All around, the other demons stared up, their faces pale.

The figure in the clouds—tiny, yet like a star—felt heavier than ten thousand mountains.

"Four Foundations Realm…"

Their hearts shattered.

The bull demon turned and fled.

The toad howled, "Cowardly!"—straining to escape.

But Li Hao had already predicted its move.

He’d set a trap along its path.

In its panic, it didn’t see.

The moment it leapt—thud!

The hook pierced its belly, deep.

Li Hao’s eyes lit up. He split the hook inside—like claws spreading in its organs, anchoring it.

Zhoosh!

The force from the line yanked him forward.

He flew hundreds of meters before regaining balance, meridians blazing.

Seven Star Pointing Light activated—his Combat Scripture rotated seven times, then exploded on the eighth.

He pulled hard—dragging the toad down.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!"

The toad screamed in agony.

The clouded figure above—like a grim reaper—filled it with death.

The toad spat corrosive venom along the line, trying to burn it away.

But Li Hao shot out more fishing lines—fine, but fueled with immense True Qi.

He couldn’t make them long, nor too many.

But as he tugged—

Boom!

The ground trembled.

A deep, distant dragon’s roar echoed from beyond the camp.

Then—a hurricane of power swept across, like a storm of blades.

Feng Bo Ping narrowed his eyes.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end