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Chapter 253: His Name
Chapter 253: His Name
Just as the Old General of the Xia Family was about to turn back, he suddenly heard the sound of bones cracking. He froze, turned his head, and saw a horrifying sight.
The Great Demon, who had been acting arrogantly and confidently just moments ago, now had its physical body shattered as if squeezed by an invisible force, without even revealing its true form.
Amid the splattered blood and flesh, a figure struggled to break free, but as soon as it flew out, it was subjected to an intense compression, wailing as it dissipated, its soul and spirit annihilated.
The ear-piercing scream at the moment of death left the numerous Xia Family soldiers at the head of Liyang City stunned, staring in shock at the bizarre scene.
On the official road below the city walls, a young man rode his horse lightly, looking up at the closed city gate and calling out:
"Old Sir, could you have them open the city gate?"
The young man's call at the city gate finally snapped the Old General of the Xia Family out of his daze. He looked down and was instantly filled with dread.
The young man sat calmly on his horse, dressed in simple, coarse linen, but his features were as handsome as flowing clouds in a painting, with a unique and unforgettable aura that gave a sense of tranquility and ease.
His gaze extended behind the young man, and he immediately saw the official road, now stained with the blood of the noble families' young masters. The Demon Tide that had been lurking on both sides of the road was now completely fallen, lifeless.
"You..."
The Old General of the Xia Family's pupils constricted as he looked at the young man, who, in his eyes, was more terrifying than the demons at that moment.
On the city wall, with the sudden and inexplicable demise of the Great Demon in the Three Eternities Realm, the other Xia Clan generals also rushed to the array. When they saw the situation outside the city, they found only a young man on horseback outside the city gates.
"Did you kill those demons?"
The Old General of the Xia Family did not dare to fly into the air and quickly landed in front of the young man. If the Great Demon was indeed killed by this young man, his strength must be terrifying, certainly at the Fourth Establishment Realm.
And such a young person, capable of matching the Fourth Establishment Realm, could only be one person.
The young man from Liangzhou.
"Indeed."
Li Hao nodded slightly, seeing no need to hide such a trivial matter:
"I heard the Xia Clan was in trouble. I happened to be passing by, so I decided to help you out."
Seeing the young man admit it, the Old General of the Xia Family's pupils contracted, and he trembled, saying, "You, you are the General of the Haotian Army?!"
His face was a mix of shock and disbelief, but he quickly became excited.
The deeds of Liangzhou had already spread far and wide. Although it was not under the jurisdiction of the Xia Clan, the young man's reputation had spread throughout the Nineteen Provinces and among the various armies.
Single-handedly subduing the demons and saving the besieged Liangzhou, his actions were reminiscent of the young hero who defended Cangzhou over a decade ago, like a brilliant and radiant General Star emerging from the heavens.
Moreover, the fact that this young man could slay a Demon King and now appeared here meant that Liyang City was saved!
Seeing Li Hao's smile, the Old General of the Xia Family suddenly came to his senses, realizing his rudeness, and quickly bowed:
"Meeting the Duke of Hao Tian!"
Previously, they had always referred to him as "Young General", purely out of habit from hearing the stories so often.
But since Liangzhou was saved from peril, the court had debated for a long time, and the awards had already been issued.
After all, it had been two months since the great battle ended.
The rewards were sent to Qingzhou, delivered to the illustrious Divine General Manor, and received on behalf of its owner. The ennoblement was also announced to the whole world from the Imperial City.
He was ennobled as a Third-Class Duke!
Jumping directly from an Earl to a Duke, bypassing the Marquis rank, this title alone placed him above countless officials, a status that even a common Prince would treat with respect.
In addition to the ennoblement, his position as Young General was elevated to Commander of Liangzhou, a real and solid First-Rank official!
At the pinnacle of the bureaucracy, on par with the Grand Minister, within the entire Imperial Court, only a few select individuals in office could surpass this young man in terms of official rank.
And his ennoblement was a level that only a few of the older generation from the Five Great Divine General Manors could reach.
"Duke?"
Li Hao was somewhat surprised. Although he expected to be rewarded, he did not anticipate being promoted directly over the Marquis rank.
Back then, "Ninth Uncle" had rescued Cangzhou, and his achievements were not inferior to this. The demonic forces that plagued Cangzhou were not as numerous or powerful, but they were manipulated by a vassal kingdom, which led to his pursuit beyond the Pass and ultimately his own demise.
"Rise."
Seeing that the other party was still bowing deeply, Li Hao immediately spoke.
The Old General of the Xia Family raised his head, his excitement evident as he said, "Duke, your presence here means salvation for the commoners of Liyang City. I thank you for your assistance and speak on behalf of the people of Liyang City, expressing our deep gratitude!"
With that, he was about to kneel down.
Previously, Liyang City had been besieged for many days, the citizens in a state of panic, and the entire city had smelled the stench of impending massacre by the demons. But now, it was like the clouds had parted to reveal the sun, and the dark clouds had suddenly dissipated.
Li Hao lifted his hand to support him, saying, "It was just a side matter, no need to be so formal. If you really want to thank me, just see if there are any famous paintings or chess manuals in your city and gather them for me."
The Old General of the Xia Family was taken aback but had heard that this young man, apart from his martial prowess, was also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, a true scholar-warrior. He sighed with admiration and quickly smiled, saying:
"Of course, I will have them search for them immediately."
With that, he ordered the city gates to be opened, and Li Hao was respectfully invited in.
At the same time, several other young Lieutenant Generals galloped over.
The Old General of the Xia Family quickly told them about the demons being slain outside the city. Upon learning that it was this young man who had done it and discovering Li Hao's identity, they were all stunned, looking at him with shock.
"Is it really him?"
Among the Lieutenant Generals, a female general stared at this young man, her thoughts suddenly drifting back to the official road of Qizhou two years ago.
At that time, the young man sitting in the carriage had left a deep impression on her, defending a city at the age of fourteen.
Soon after, she heard news of him again, his name resounding throughout Qingzhou.
Later, at fifteen, he rescued Liangzhou, becoming a household name across the land.
"This is Xia Qingshuang, a prodigy of our Xia Clan."
"This is Xia Yucheng..."
The Old General of the Xia Family quickly introduced the young Lieutenant Generals of the Xia Clan to Li Hao, hoping to use this opportunity to form connections with him.
Although everyone was aware that Li Hao had defected from the Li Family, the young man's current achievements no longer required the Divine General Manor to build his reputation for him—he was a reputation in himself.
At just under sixteen, he had already attained the rank of Duke, held a position of great power, and could even slay Demon Kings. No one was willing to offend him.
When the Old General of the Xia Family introduced him, these Xia Clan Lieutenant Generals, compelled by Li Hao's noble title and official position, had no choice but to bow in respect. They were shocked and excited, but also felt a bit awkward.
After all, they were prodigies of the Xia Clan, while the young man before them came from the Li Family. They were all part of the younger generation, yet some of them were seven to ten years older than him. Now, they had to bow to him, making them feel as if the glory of the Xia Clan was also bowing.
However, although the Five Great Divine General Manors each defended different regions, their ranks and titles were unified under the dynasty. Li Hao's current status would make him a distinguished guest wherever he went, and they dared not show any disrespect. Disobeying him would mean defying not only Li Hao but also the Emperor and the dynasty's thousand-year-old laws.
Li Hao, mounted on his horse, merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
The crowd exchanged pleasantries and escorted Li Hao to the City Lord's Mansion.
Inside the mansion, the two young Lieutenant Generals exchanged awkward glances.
Earlier, in the council hall, they had firmly opposed using the young man's War Banners and criticized the Tiger Fur Coat for lacking intimidation. Now, the very person they had questioned had arrived and was standing right before them, making them feel somewhat guilty.
"General Hao Tian, how did you kill that Three Eternities Realm Great Demon? We didn't see you make a move..."
Xia Yuanming asked curiously.
He had been the one most opposed to using Li Hao's War Banners, but now, facing the real person, he felt a bit intimidated. After all, the young man's feat of slaying seven Demon Kings was well-documented and could not be denied.
Hearing his question, Xia Qingshuang also looked at Li Hao with a focused gaze.
She remembered that when defending Qizhou, it was rumored that the young man had already reached the Fifteen Li Realm.
And now, just two years later...
"Your realm is too low; you wouldn't understand even if I told you."
Li Hao replied calmly, without any hint of mockery.
Xia Yuanming felt a bit embarrassed and slightly annoyed, but remembering that Li Hao had saved Liyang City, he let it go and stopped trying to flatter him.
The Old General of the Xia Family, however, found Li Hao's response normal. He gave Xia Yuanming a slightly reproachful look, as attack techniques were secrets of the Martial Dao, and the question had been somewhat presumptuous.
"General, it was rumored that you were being pursued by a Void Realm Demon King. Have you just escaped?"
He changed the subject and asked politely.
Recently, everyone's attention had been on the Mourning River outside Liangzhou, but there had been no activity there. No one expected the person they were waiting for to suddenly appear in Youzhou.
"More or less."
Li Hao responded, then asked about the situation in Liangzhou.
Although he had learned some information from the innkeeper, the Old General of the Xia Family had access to far more detailed intelligence.
After hearing the full details, Li Hao was completely reassured. Liangzhou was indeed at peace.
However, while Liangzhou was peaceful, other regions of Dayu were experiencing turmoil.
The Old General of the Xia Family then spoke about Youzhou. The current situation in Youzhou was dire, with the region surrounded on all sides. A war had broken out with the top Demon faction, the Gluttony Valley. If Li Hao hadn't arrived today, the northwest direction would likely have been breached by the Demons soon.
And Liyang City wasn't even the main battlefield of Youzhou.
In the direction of the Eastern Border, battle reports had been frequent, and the Xia Clan's main forces were concentrated there.
After the Old General of the Xia Family finished speaking, he suddenly knelt on one knee before Li Hao, earnestly pleading for his assistance.
The other young lieutenant generals of the Xia Clan were stunned, never expecting their uncle to show such respect to Li Hao.
Li Hao helped the old general to his feet, his brow furrowing slightly as he pondered, "I cannot act rashly in this matter. You should consult the Patriarch of the Xia Clan."
Hearing this, the Old General of the Xia Family immediately understood that the young man before him was no simple individual. He had tried to win his support through personal appeal, but his influence clearly wasn't enough.
"I will report to the Patriarch. I hope you can stay in Liyang City for a few more days."
The Old General of the Xia Family quickly added.
Li Hao nodded slightly, "That can be arranged, but I am waiting to return to Liangzhou and cannot stay for long. Let's make it three days."
"Three days..."
The Old General of the Xia Family tensed up but agreed.
He immediately sent someone to arrange accommodations for Li Hao.
However, Li Hao did not stay at the City Lord's Mansion. Instead, he asked them to find him a quiet courtyard within the city.
After Li Hao left, the Old General of the Xia Family quickly dispatched a messenger to send an urgent letter to the family.
As Li Hao entered the city, a high-flying Bird Demon in the sky above Liyang City observed everything.
When it saw the demons mysteriously dead on the official road and the fallen Three Eternities Realm Great Demon, its initially relaxed demeanor turned to horror, nearly shaking off its feathers.
Then, it saw the young man on horseback being respectfully invited into the city by the Xia Clan. There was no doubt that everything was his doing.
To so easily kill a Great Demon and be a young man—these two facts combined pointed to only one identity.
Could it be that the young man who was said to be trapped in the Yudu-Class Mourning River had returned?
With this realization, the Bird Demon quickly fled, flying a hundred miles away to the Demon Tide's encampment, where two Three Eternities Realm Great Demons were stationed.
At that moment, on a mountain peak, the two Great Demons were drinking and feasting. One of them, whose aura was concealed, was tearing into a human leg while drinking, appearing quite at ease.
The Tianji Hall Bird Demon flew in frantically and quickly reported the news.
"What?!"
"That guy from Liangzhou is here?!"
"Didn't they say he was in the Mourning River?"
Both Great Demons paled, repeatedly confirming the information with the Bird Demon. Ultimately, they were filled with panic and fear, quickly ordering the demons to retreat.
The vast Demon Tide, which had gathered there, began to withdraw rapidly, observed secretly by the Xia Clan's scouts outside the city.
The Bird Demon then relayed this information back to the Tianji Hall, which was quickly discussed by the Youzhou branch and swiftly transmitted to the Youzhou Frontline.
Almost simultaneously, as the Xia Clan in Youzhou received the news, the Demons on the frontline battlefield, where the Valley Lord of Gluttony Valley was stationed on a mountain peak, also received the message from the Tianji Hall.
The young general from Liangzhou had arrived in Youzhou!
(End of Chapter)
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