Chapter 144: The Final Lesson I Teach You (Bonus Chapter 18 – Extra Update for Monthly Votes)

“Dare you, die!!”

As Li Hao’s Sword Light shot forth, a sudden, thunderous voice erupted from the void.

Then—a piercing crack of air—sliced through the sky. A golden feather, radiant and deadly, streaked across space like lightning, appearing without warning, impossibly fast.

By the time Li Hao saw it, the feather was already inches from his eye—on the verge of piercing through.

He couldn’t block it.

His pupils contracted. Blood froze in his veins. For the first time, death loomed so close, so vivid. A suffocating darkness pressed upon him.

But then—it vanished.

A weathered hand, slow as a moon rising from the deep sea, reached out. With movements so deliberate they seemed almost lazy, the hand left behind a trail of afterimages—yet in a blink, it had caught the feather mid-flight.

A figure appeared before Li Hao—clad in a plain gray robe, a simple wooden hairpin holding back his hair, back straight and proud. This was Old Feng, the one who had been quietly observing from the shadows.

Li Hao snapped back to awareness, face paling. He turned sharply forward—just in time to see a dark-cloaked figure materialize above the Minor Demon King like a specter, his entire body wrapped in black, eyes burning with icy fury.

“You dare cross the boundary, Demon King? You truly don’t value your life,” Old Feng said coldly, his palm closing. The divine feather, pulsing with strange light, shattered into dust within his grasp.

“Senior Brother Gao!” The Young Demon King of Wan Mountain snapped to attention, calling out urgently to the black-clad man.

“I’ve stepped in. You all die,” the black-cloaked figure hissed, a tide of demonic aura surging forth, darkening the sky.

Li Hao felt the overwhelming presence of the Demon Beast—his heart pounded uncontrollably. This was no ordinary demon. This was a Demon King.

From the Young Demon King’s cry, he realized this wasn’t the Wan Mountain Demon King—this was another, far more dangerous.

“Troublesome,” Old Feng said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. “But I suppose it’s unavoidable.”

He turned, hands clasped behind his back, not looking back. “Little Squirrel,” he said, “this one’s yours. Can you hold him for a minute?”

“No problem,” Li Hao replied, voice steady.

Old Feng had remained hidden—presumably sensing the Demon King all along. Now that the threat was clear, there was no need to hide anymore.

The black-cloaked man understood. Fighting here would only end in mutual destruction, with both sides trying to protect their charges. He also feared the Minor Demon King would be crushed in an instant.

“Enough playing,” he sent coldly through mental transmission. “Finish it—protect the young master!”

The Serpent Demon, locked in battle with Li He, flinched at the voice, trembling, then shouted, “Yes!”

The Ox Demon shuddered, responding just as fast.

“Then let’s see,” the black-cloaked man murmured, “who dies first in a minute.”

He locked eyes with Old Feng. Then—both vanished, leaving no trace.

Yet the oppressive demonic qi above them didn’t fade. If anything, it grew thicker, denser—like ink poured into the sky.

“Damn you, you should die!!” The Young Demon King of Wan Mountain glared at the retreating black-cloaked figure, then turned his furious gaze on Li Hao. His face twisted into a snarl of rage.

He had held back earlier—underestimating Li Hao, allowing himself to be nearly cut down. That was why Senior Brother Gao had intervened.

But once Senior Brother Gao acted, he’d be marked for death by the Great Yu Divine Dynasty. They’d send their strongest Four Foundations Realm masters to hunt him down—unless he fled into the Great荒 World, where even the dynasty’s reach couldn’t reach.

And now, because of his own arrogance… Senior Brother Gao would be forced to live like a fugitive.

The Young Demon King roared in fury.

His fur bristled. Crimson, flame-like veins surged across his chest and arms—this was a forbidden Demon Beast Body Cultivation Art, discovered from an ancient fragment. It had forged his body into iron, nearly invincible. Few in the Three Immortalities could wound him.

And yet… he had been cut by a human child.

“I’ll kill you!” he bellowed, drawing his blade.

At first, it was small—hidden beneath his fur. But now, it expanded, drinking in divine energy, growing to dozens of meters long. The blade’s mere wind could rip roofs apart and split the earth.

Boom—boom—boom!

The great golden sword swung down, a storm of wind and thunder in its wake. The force of its swing was overwhelming—Li Hao looked like an ant beneath it.

Yet in his eyes—deep, calm, and focused—there was a sudden glow.

He had not wasted the master’s martial discourse. Every clash with a true master had fed his understanding, deepened his grasp of the Way.

Sword Intent rises with the wind.

Facing that thunderous, explosive strike, Li Hao’s sword light was not force—it was clear wind. He moved like a butterfly, dancing effortlessly through the storm of blades.

Then—like lightning—his sword darted past the blade, streaking toward the Young Demon King’s eyes.

“My Wind and Thunder Dao!” The Demon King’s pupils contracted in shock and rage. “How—how can you possibly know this?!”

Just as the sword light neared his eye, a gray bone fragment shot forth from the air, wreathed in hazy fog, blocking the path.

The fragment bounced—but didn’t break. Li Hao was thrown back by the impact. That brief pause was enough.

The Young Demon King dodged—just in time.

The bone fragment, too far to reclaim, lay on the ground. It was a shard of a fearsome Demon King’s skull, polished by his father into a protective relic. And now it had saved his life.

His face burned with fury. Red eyes blazing.

“Lionheart Nine Revolutions!”

He roared, unleashing a secret technique. His aura exploded, surging higher than before. He swung the blade again—this time, it burned with phantom flames, as if the sword art had reached its True State.

Li Hao’s expression tightened. He dodged, weaving through the air with the Thousand Mountains Bird Flight Scroll and Snow Mountain Spirit Fox Scroll, his movements light and swift. Merging them with his martial realm’s movement skill, he danced like a gust of wind, slipping through the storm of blades.

The Demon King roared after him, slashing again and again—but Li Hao only evaded, retreating, avoiding the edge.

Perhaps the technique drained too much. Within moments, the Demon King was panting heavily. He saw through Li Hao’s plan. His eyes narrowed, cruel.

“You think you can wear me down? Don’t forget—I’m in the Unfading Stage.”

He activated his Immortal-Endurance Power. The wounds on his arm healed before the eye could follow. His aura steadied instantly.

Then, with renewed bloodlust, he unleashed Lionheart Nine Revolutions once more—this time, his protective treasure aura flared into flame, coating the blade. He charged forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

But now—Li Hao stopped.

In the space of dodging, a truth had crystallized in his mind.

Sea Without Shore. Sky as Peak.

From that concept, he forged a new technique—Peak Sky Sword. It wasn’t about cutting space or sudden strikes. It was about ultimate power, compressing the raging storm of sword intent into a single, unbreakable peak.

But that wasn’t all.

In his mind, he wove together Other Shore, Peak Sky Sword, and the Tancheng Palace’s Ultimate Technique—Taiji Qiankun Sword.

Yin and Yang. Death. Final strike.

Three ultimate arts, distilled and merged—stripped of their excess, forged into a single, new art.

Li Hao named it: Cyclic.

He drew a deep breath. His entire body flared with energy. The Seven Star Pointing Light ability activated once more—its power surging through his meridians.

He’d exhausted it before—but after cultivating two Demon Beast Body Arts, his body was far stronger. He could push again.

With the Combat Scripture roaring through him, power surged like a river. The Object Manipulation Force within his Cosmic and Earthly Soul Form poured into him.

Body power. Qi. Spirit force. All reached their peak.

Huum!

The Longxiao Sword trembled. The dragon coiled around its blade let out a low, icy roar—answering its master’s will.

Li Hao stepped forward.

The sword light exploded—cutting through the night sky.

The arc of light spun like a full moon, or a door of death.

The Demon King’s massive golden blade, caught in the vortex, veered off course. The divine flames on its surface vanished, consumed.

As the blade flew away, the sword shadow arc surged forward—rolling up the Demon King’s arm, tearing through fur and flesh. Shred—shred—shred.

The arc raced toward his head.

The Demon King’s pupils contracted. Shock. Terror. Unbelievable.

“Young Master!!”

From afar, the Serpent Demon let out a soul-shattering roar. His spirit soul ignited like a star, surging forward at impossible speed. He slammed into the Demon King, sending him flying—taking the blow meant for him.

His spirit soul collided with the sword shadow arc.

Boom!

His spirit soul shattered—in pieces. His ten-hundred-foot serpent body split apart like ice, dissolving into nothing.

“Young Master… run…” the Serpent Demon gasped, voice fading, eyes dull. “Hei Shu… failed…”

Then—a flash. Li He and the Helian Family’s Three Immortalities seized the moment. With a single stroke, they severed the head. The massive serpent’s head tumbled, blood spraying across the ground.

The Young Demon King, sprawled on the ground, stared blankly. Warm, red blood—Jiao Bo’s blood—splattered across his fur.

He froze.

Centuries of cultivation. Raised under his father’s protection. Natural genius. A prodigy who had ascended through the realms with terrifying speed—Peak Zhou Tian Realm from birth. Soul Inheritance. Spirit Travel. By fifteen li—in ten years.

In Demon Beast terms, he was a legend.

Then, a century later, he reached the Human-Heaven Stage. Another century—Three Immortal Realm. And at the second stage, the Unbroken Realm, he left the mountain.

With Jiao Bo and the Ox Demon, he conquered one mountain after another, building an empire.

Now, at the brink of the Unfading Stage, he turned his gaze to Liang Prefecture—the forbidden land of demons.

Ambition flared. He wanted to conquer. To devour.

Years of raiding the frontier—success after success—had made him bolder. This time, he’d come deep into Liang Prefecture, lured by rumors and his own arrogance.

He’d thought it would be easy.

Now, he felt it—the cold grip of death. Fear. Trembling.

“Young Master!!”

A roar, desperate and urgent, echoed from afar.

The Demon King snapped back to reality. His pupils contracted. He’d been lost in thought.

He looked up—and saw the human youth charging again.

The Longxiao Sword flared once more. A second Sword Shadow Arc Light formed, opening like a door of blades in the dark.

The Demon King woke up.

He was furious. But more than that—he valued his life.

He knew his potential. In time, he would surpass his father. He would reach the peak—touch the heavens.

He couldn’t die here.

He roared—Lionheart Roar Art—a sonic wave that shattered the air. But the sword light barely trembled.

His body shifted—no longer half-human. He became a full lion, two wings sprouting from his back—his mother’s bloodline power.

Though short, they gave him speed. He launched forward—straight toward the city gate.

Escape.

He’d never been so humiliated. Centuries of conquest, thousands of battles—never had he run.

Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Just moments ago, the Demon King had roared like a warrior. Now he fled.

He hadn’t expected this.

Demons. Never trustworthy.

Li Hao paused—then surged forward. The Longxiao Sword leapt from his hand, flying through object mastery, slashing through the air.

“Die!!”

From afar, the Ox Demon charged, breaking through the Three Immortalities, hurling a storm of needle-like projectiles at the flying sword.

The Longxiao cut through them effortlessly—but the constant barrage still rattled it.

“Die!” The Ox Demon charged forward, his hooves glowing with power—like he could move mountains.

Li Hao felt the sharp aura. He frowned, pulling the sword back—then slashed with Cyclic.

The sword light spun like a vortex, grinding down the sharp aura—then shot forward, slamming into the Ox Demon’s head.

The Ox Demon roared, his body blazing with crimson fire. He burned his spirit soul—a desperate act.

He slammed his hoof down—crushing the sword light.

But the Longxiao was sharper than he imagined.

Even though he was in the Unbroken Realm—his body tough—he was no match for the Demon King. The sword sliced through his hoof like tofu.

The hoof flew off. The sword cut through his body—half severed.

The Ox Demon stared, eyes wide with disbelief. This is just a Sect Master Realm?

His body collapsed—but he let out a final, deafening roar. The sound shattered nearby buildings.

His spirit soul tore free, burning like a firestorm. He unleashed his ultimate technique, charging like a mountain.

Li Hao raised his sword—straight down.

The Dragon Soul within the Longxiao surged out, wrapping around the spirit soul like a serpent, pinning it to the ground. Then—crack—the sword fell.

The spirit soul dimmed instantly.

“Young Master…” The dying Ox Demon’s eyes reflected only the fleeing lion in the distance. “Hei Shu… failed…”

Fire swept across. The Longxiao’s divine light burned the spirit soul to ash.

The Three Immortalities middle-aged man who had fought the Ox Demon arrived, eyes wide. He stared at Li Hao—shocked.

He knew the boy’s identity. But he couldn’t believe it. A fourteen-year-old Li Clan heir—this strong?

Li Hao didn’t look. He turned, sword in hand, chasing after the fleeing Demon King.

Letting a lion return to the wild? A fatal mistake.

Just as he dashed forward, the ground shook.

Li Hao’s expression darkened. His spirit soul emerged from his crown, rising above the city.

From high above, he saw it—the Demon Tide.

The horde from a hundred miles away was now rushing toward the city.

On the walls—Master after master, standing firm. The city defense force had already taken position.

The Three Immortalities man saw it too. His face paled. He sprinted off.

Among the tide were other Three Immortalities Great Demons. One master couldn’t hold them back.

Li Hao glanced once—then resumed the chase. The Longxiao flew ahead, pursuing.

The Demon King slashed back—his palm shattered by the sword. Rage filled him. He didn’t look back. For the first time, a minute felt like an eternity.

The city gate was in sight. He could see the demon army outside. Once he joined them, he could hide his aura—no one would find him.

But then—a chill.

From behind, a cold aura of death.

He spun.

The Sword Shadow Arc Light crashed down.

His heart froze. Terror. Unbelievable.

He was already at full speed. How could the human’s object mastery be so fast?

Boom!

The sword cut through his head—skull bursting, brain spraying. His massive body tumbled forward, crushing everything in its path.

From the headless lion, a beam of divine light shot out—fleeing.

The Longxiao, blazing like gold, pursued—and severed it in two.

A scream echoed.

The injured spirit soul, desperate, burned itself completely—its speed skyrocketing. He didn’t care. Survival was all that mattered.

Even if he’d lose his cultivation forever.

Boom!

Suddenly—another sword qi—ghost-like, stretching across space—slashed through his spirit soul.

“How… how…” The Demon King’s mind trembled. Disintegration loomed.

He looked back—the boy was far away. The sword was far away.

This should be impossible.

But he was hit.

He couldn’t understand. His thoughts shattered. His soul began to fade.

When the spirit soul vanished completely—Li Hao exhaled.

He hadn’t caught up. So he’d used Flying Segment.

A masterstroke. In surprise, it doubled his attack range—a hundred li.

He recalled the Longxiao, flew to the Demon King’s corpse, and examined it closely. Confirmed dead.

Outside, the tremors grew stronger. Roars of fury—of despair—rang through the air.

The Great Demons beyond the wall had sensed the battle. Seeing their prodigy, the Young Demon King, burn his spirit soul and still fall—they roared in fury.

Countless demons answered. Without their leader, they didn’t flee. They surged forward, more violent, more mad.

Li Hao’s gaze narrowed.

These weren’t wild beasts. They were an army. Trained. Disciplined. Not like ragtag hordes that scatter at the fall of their leader.

“Demon beasts… are worse than I thought,” he murmured.

If all Demon Kings fought like this—like soldiers—then the war would be cataclysmic.

He didn’t delay.

He lifted his spirit soul, stepped into the air, scanning the city.

He spotted Shen Yunqing and the others—along with disciples of the White Palace—on a city tower.

And just as he saw them, the Demon Tide swept across the city. Demons had already breached the western and northern gates.

Li Hao flashed forward—to Shen Yunqing’s side.

He looked around.

Elsewhere—aside from the Ox Demon—other Three Immortalities Great Demons had attacked, causing massive destruction. The City Governor’s Mansion was in ruins.

But now, all the Great Demons had left the city

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end