Chapter 58: Slaying the Dragon Thirty Li Away

“He… he… he…” Yu Wei couldn’t even finish spitting the tea from his small dish, his eyes wide as saucers, trembling as he pointed toward the spot where Li Hao had vanished. His voice cracked with shock.

“H-He’s… gone?!”

Du Qiuyue shot to her feet in terror, mouth agape. “Where did he go?!”

Beside them, Ren Qianqian froze. Her gaze darted wildly across the surroundings—every direction, every shadow—but there was no trace of Li Hao. No footprints. No lingering aura. Nothing.

In the blink of an eye, right before their eyes… he had simply disappeared.

Unless it was some forbidden illusion technique she’d never heard of, the only explanation was that Li Hao’s speed had shattered the limits of human perception.

If he could move that fast… and turn it into an attack…

Her pupils narrowed. Her fingers clenched tighter around her sword hilt, nails digging into the wood.

“He… he… this… this—” Yu Wei spun toward Li Yuanzhao, flailing his arms like a madman, utterly undone. “Yuanshao! What cultivation level is your Hao brother?! What kind of cultivation is he even at?!”

Du Qiuyue, regaining her composure, turned to Li Yuanzhao with a stunned expression. “How… how is this possible?”

Li Yuanzhao stood stunned, too. He’d never seen Hao brother reveal anything like this before. In all their time together, Hao brother had always seemed… ordinary. Just a Body Cultivation cultivator, as Mother had said. Body Cultivation had a low ceiling—maximum, the Circulation Realm. Reaching Continuation of Soul Realm was already a miracle.

Could it be… Hao brother had inherited a soul?

Li Yuanzhao’s heart pounded. He wasn’t ignorant. If Hao brother had truly entered the Continuation of Soul Realm, it meant he could draw in heavenly energy—meaning his meridians were fully unblocked. That meant…

Hao brother could actually cultivate!

The thought sent a tremor through his hands, which were resting on the table. His breath came fast. This possibility—this truth—felt almost too overwhelming to bear.

…

Meanwhile, fifteen li away.

The Black Dragon Beauty’s mind reeled. Was she seeing things? She blinked, disbelief clawing at her thoughts—until she saw Li Hao step out from the small tea stall, then blur forward like a streak of golden lightning.

So fast!

And—he was flying!

Her face paled. Utter dread flooded her. This was the hallmark of the Fifteen Li Stage! The son of Xing Wuhou… was already at the Fifteen Li Stage?!

How old was he?!

For a moment, her mind went blank. She’d thought this would be a simple task—sever the head of a single scale, thirty li away, and finish it in an instant. But now… this was beyond comprehension.

A crushing wave of death loomed over her. Instinct screamed. She didn’t hesitate—she spun and fled, desperate to reach her husband.

A flash of black light. She shot upward, aiming for the horizon.

But before she cleared the treetops by even a hundred meters—a golden beam of light descended from the heavens.

From within it, a pale, slender hand emerged, swift as thought. It slammed down onto the Black Dragon Beauty’s head—then pressed her straight into the earth.

Boom!

The ground cracked open, forming a massive crater. Dust and debris exploded into the air.

At the bottom, the Black Dragon Beauty’s head was pinned deep into the dirt, her face twisted in humiliation and terror.

Her body felt like it was crushed under a mountain of iron. The hand on her skull was like steel—unyielding, immovable.

How… how could this be possible? This was beyond the power of even the Fifteen Li Stage!

She screamed—high-pitched, guttural, a roar like thunder and a bull’s bellow. Her black spirit beast aura flared violently, and in a burst of mist, her true form erupted.

A monstrous, terrifying serpent’s head tore through the fog, jaws snapping toward Li Hao.

But before she could strike—a pair of intricately embroidered boots shot out from the mist.

Without hesitation, the boot crushed down onto her head with a sickening thud, driving the massive serpent’s skull deep into the earth.

Her thick tail lashed out, whipping through the air like a whip. Li Hao didn’t even turn. He simply raised his fist behind him and swung.

A deep, thunderous crack echoed through the forest.

Over a million jin of force struck the tail—shattering scales, denting the bone, sending the tail rebounding violently into the ground.

A guttural, agonized scream tore from beneath her, like a wounded beast. But her mouth couldn’t open fully—her voice was muffled, distorted, choked.

The wind swept away the spirit mist.

Li Hao stood with one foot planted firmly on the serpent’s skull, the other knee bent, hand resting on his thigh. He tilted his head, studying the beast beneath him with cold, calculating eyes.

“Attacked me?” he murmured, voice calm. “You’re not just here to kill. Who sent you?”

There was no anger in his tone—only quiet, chilling precision.

Yet the Black Dragon Beauty trembled. A cold shiver ran through her entire body.

“W-Who… are you?” she stammered, barely able to open her mouth. Her voice was raw with fear.

In a single moment, she’d been utterly dominated. Was this… a Human-Heaven Stage cultivator?

Her mind raced. Had the assassination plan already been discovered by the Divine General’s Residence? Was this a trap? A decoy?

“With so many people at the tea stall,” Li Hao said with a faint smirk, “you zeroed in on me instantly. You knew who I was, didn’t you?”

He tilted his head. “I don’t look that different from others, do I?”

If this was aimed at the Divine General’s Residence, then they were prepared. And yet… they’d still underestimated him.

“You’re really Xing Wuhou’s son?” The Black Dragon Beauty’s voice trembled. “How… how is this possible? Age can’t be forged. Xing Wuhou’s son is only fourteen. And yet… you’re already at the Fifteen Li Stage!”

Her tone shifted—shock, then a sharp edge of fury and betrayal.

Fourteen years old… Fifteen Li Stage?

Even the greatest prodigies of the Ninth-Rank Combat Body could barely reach the Divine Travel Realm by that age—and that would be legendary.

“You… know my father?” Li Hao raised an eyebrow. Instantly, memories of the assassination attempt at age seven flashed through his mind. His eyes narrowed. “You’re from Yanbei, aren’t you?”

He could have killed her right there at the tea stall. But he’d followed her here—not just to kill, but to understand.

“You’re really his son?” The Black Dragon Beauty stared up at him, her eyes wide, trying to see his face again.

Li Hao pressed down with his foot, voice sharp. “Tell me—what’s going on in Yanbei? Why has the stalemate lasted so long? Don’t you know the strength of the Great Yu Dynasty? Even without the Li Clan, if you ever broke through, the other Divine General Residences would send reinforcements. And the Great Yu Imperial Clan’s army—ready at a moment’s notice—would march to crush you. Are you that desperate?”

She snarled, “Don’t pretend human kind are some unbreakable wall. Taking Yanbei is just the first step.”

Li Hao frowned. So the spirit beast faction attacking Yanbei was vast. They weren’t just trying to break through—they wanted the entire Emperor Yu Dynasty.

How many spirit beasts would it take?

He stared down at the beast beneath him. “Concealing power?” He let out a soft chuckle. “I just never had the chance to show it. I was twelve when I caught a dragon. You didn’t see that, did you? Should I be blamed?”

He paused. “Be honest. I might just let you go.”

“Twelve… caught a dragon?” The Black Dragon Beauty froze. Her blood ran cold. She couldn’t speak.

“Think carefully,” Li Hao said. “You’ve cultivated hard. Don’t throw it away so easily.”

She snapped back to her senses, her mind screaming one thought: Survive. Survive at all costs. Take this news back.

If the White Godlord learned of this child’s talent—even without the Yanbei campaign—he’d hunt him down without mercy. A threat like this couldn’t be allowed to grow.

She’d thought sending her and her husband was overkill—sure to eliminate any chance. But she’d underestimated.

Not the protection of the Divine General’s Residence.

But the prey itself.

Seeing the beast silent, Li Hao sighed. “Fine. Want to die? Good. I haven’t eaten dragon meat in ages. Today, I’ll take your dragon liver. Let’s see… how fat and tender are you?”

The Black Dragon Beauty’s eyes widened in horror. Her soul froze.

They eat people—spirit beasts don’t. But this boy… wants to eat a spirit beast? Not even for its inner dantian—just for the liver?

“Husband! Help me!”

Just as Li Hao raised his hand, she screamed.

“Hmm?” Li Hao paused. Another one?

A chill ran through him. He lifted his spirit soul from his crown, scanning the area.

Moments later, he saw it—thirty li away, on a distant hilltop, a battle raged.

A massive, thick black dragon clashed with two figures.

Li Hao recognized one immediately—Fu Bo.

The other, unknown. Not from the Divine General’s Residence. He guessed it must be someone sent by Ren Qianqian.

Their situation was dire. Fu Bo was wounded, barely able to fight. The other fighter was holding the line—but barely.

“Use your scales,” Li Hao muttered.

He bent down, plucked a single dragon scale from the beast’s head, and flung it.

It shot through the air like a black bolt, vanishing into the sky in an instant.

The Black Dragon Beauty stared, stunned. Then horror flooded her.

“What… what are you doing?!”

—

Thirty li away.

The two fighters were on the brink of collapse.

Li Fu’s face was ashen. He hadn’t expected to face a Fifteen Li Stage Great Demon here. He was only at Divine Travel Realm. Escaping was nearly impossible—lucky to have the other Fifteen Li Stage warrior fighting alongside him.

But the situation was hopeless. His earlier distress signal had been eaten by the demon.

“Die!” the black dragon roared, slamming the man off the cliff. It prepared to dive, tearing him apart.

Then—a sound.

A sharp, piercing whoosh.

“Huh?” The dragon turned—its eyes widened in disbelief.

A dark scale, rapidly growing, filled its vision.

Boom!

In a flash, the scale pierced its eye, driving deep into its skull. It twisted violently within the brain, shredding every nerve, every thought.

The dragon spat blood. Its other eye widened in shock—unbelievable.

It knew that black light. It was Xuan Mei’s scale.

But… how?

Crack!

The dragon fell, crashing to the ground. Its life flickered out in seconds.

One Scale Slays the Dragon Thirty Li Away.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end