Chapter 71: Merit

Whose flying sword is this?! A Fifteen Li Stage cultivator has arrived?!

Everyone was filled with shock and delight, scanning the surroundings. Could it be the Xia Family?

At that moment, Song Yueyao froze in place. A single figure flashed through her mind—but that person had previously wielded the broken Demon-Slaying Blade, not this sword. Could it really be the Xia Family?

Then—where was that person?

She scanned the battlefield frantically, but there was no sign of Li Hao.

Nor did she see any trace of a Xia Family General. Perhaps the warrior was simply standing somewhere out of sight, unnoticed.

While the crowd erupted in joy, the remaining Great Demons were thrown into utter panic.

This turn of events was too sudden—completely unforeseen!

Reinforcements? The Xia Family?

No matter what it was—Chimei Daoist was dead.

And if even that man had been cut down in an instant, what chance did they—mere beings of the Divine Travel Realm—have?

Moreover, it was said that Chimei Daoist had cultivated within the Sacred Palace, with over a thousand years of cultivation. Even among the Fifteen Li Stage, he was considered an elite force.

The True God of Great Strength from the Black Wind Mountain Range, once a tyrant beyond Cangyu City, who had arrogantly proclaimed himself the Great Demon King—had been utterly defeated by Chimei Daoist, forced to obey his every command.

And yet, in the face of a Fifteen Li Stage warrior from the Xia Family, Chimei Daoist had fallen like a leaf in a storm?

The Spirit Beasts trembled with terror. Without hesitation, they turned and fled, abandoning the demonic tide below.

As the Great Demons scattered, the Soul Succession Stage Spirit Beasts behind them caught sight of the truth: the Red-Brow Demon King was already dead. What was the point of continuing?

Though the ranks of Spirit Beasts still surged forward, those at the front had already turned and fled in terror.

The chaos caused by their frantic retreat sent shockwaves through the entire tide, turning it into a disorganized mess.

Meanwhile, the flying sword, having slain Chimei Daoist, continued slicing through the battlefield under Li Hao’s control, hunting down the fleeing Great Demons of the Spirit-Wandering Realm.

These beasts still had the strength to regroup and return—so Li Hao would not let them escape.

Blinding light flared like divine lightning, flashing across the battlefield. The fleeing Great Demons tried desperately to resist, unleashing their Survival Demon Magic, but against the flying sword’s speed and overwhelming force, their efforts were futile. They were pierced through without a single chance to defend.

One by one, the Great Demons screamed as they fell.

Scattering in all directions, they clung to the hope that Li Hao’s spiritual control couldn’t reach them—too far to pursue.

But Li Hao wasn’t just manipulating the sword.

He had already leapt forward, dashing toward the northern city gate.

Seeing this, Wei Feng, who had been preparing to retreat, suddenly changed his mind.

With Li Hao so fiercely dominant at the Fifteen Li Stage, it was unlikely any Great Demon below the Human-Heaven Stage could succeed in capturing the city.

And if it were a Human-Heaven Stage Great Demon… why would it need to rely on other demonic creatures? It could slaughter the entire city in the span of a single incense stick’s burn.

But such a move would bring down the wrath of the Divine General’s Residence—a pursuit that would last until the demon was hunted to the ends of the earth.

Therefore, such invasions were rarely done alone.

If a Human-Heaven Stage Great Demon infiltrated disguised among the Spirit Beast tribes, it wouldn’t be singled out for punishment. And retreating into the Spirit Beast Realm’s boundary would be far easier.

Realizing this, Wei Feng immediately grabbed Ren Qianqian and Li Yuanzhao, leaping after Li Hao, eager to witness the outcome firsthand.

With him staying close, if things turned dire, they could still retreat in time to preserve their lives.

At the same time, as Li Hao moved, the range of his spiritual object manipulation expanded. The Spirit-Wandering Realm Great Demons hadn’t even left the battlefield when they were cut down one by one.

“How… how far is his spiritual control?!”

A Great Demon, now compressed into a swirling black mist, heard the wind howling behind it. Its eyes filled with despair.

Puff!

The sword flashed past—shattering the mist.

With all eight Spirit-Wandering Realm Great Demons now dead, Li Hao turned the flying sword once more toward the demonic tide.

Like a needle threading through a cloth, the sword cut through the ranks of demons, spraying blood with every stroke. The Demon Creatures were mercilessly slaughtered.

The once-ferocious tide, which had surged forward with such fury, now lay in ruin—reduced to a sea of blood and corpses. The survivors scattered in panic, fleeing in every direction.

Seeing this, the Commander-in-Chief atop the city wall immediately signaled the others to pursue.

Liu Shunqing and the Qi Clan led their disciples out, charging into the chaos to hunt down the fleeing demons—this was a rare opportunity to earn merit.

In less than half a candle’s burn, the demonic tide had shattered into disarray.

Below the city wall, the ground was littered with the corpses of demon creatures—most strikingly, the three-part severed corpse of the Red Serpent, its body split clean in two.

The city guards stood stunned, as if in a dream.

They had been ready to write their last letters, surrendering to fate—only to find themselves having successfully defended the city.

The demonic invasion? In the face of the flying sword, it had been a farce—massive in buildup, yet ended in an instant.

Above, the demonic clouds in the north, once thick and ominous, had dissolved into nothingness after the death of Chimei Daoist and the subsequent deaths of the other Spirit-Wandering Realm Great Demons. The sky cleared, returning to its pristine blue.

On the city walls, soldiers raised their arms and cheered.

When Yue Shuhong arrived, he could only stare in disbelief at the scattered remnants of the Spirit Beast army.

For twenty years, he had played the game of deceit—negotiating, scheming, enduring humiliation, all in the hope of survival.

And yet… after all that, it had come down to this: a single boy, one sword, and victory.

His heart surged with emotion—mixed with sorrow, bitterness, and regret.

All his desperate pleas, his endless begging—had they been nothing but fleeting illusions?

He had long known the truth: only strength could break through any barrier.

But now… how could he cultivate? He had been transferred here, burdened with official duties. How much time did he have left for cultivation?

He stood silent, eyes gazing upward, letting out a soft, weary sigh.

The demonic tide was over. With such heavy losses, Cangyu City would not face another demon incursion for decades.

But what about him?

He let out a bitter laugh, then composed himself and walked toward Li Hao.

“Young Master of the Li Clan, I, Yue Shuhong, dare to speak boldly—on behalf of all the people of Cangyu City, I thank you for your salvation!”

His voice was solemn. He clasped his hands together, then bowed deeply before Li Hao, his eyes steady and reverent.

Li Hao raised a hand. The sky-born flying sword soared like a cloud, descending into his palm.

He looked at the City Guardian beside him—a middle-aged man with weather-beaten, dark skin etched with the marks of hardship.

“It was nothing. No need for formalities,” Li Hao said calmly.

A faint, bitter smile tugged at Yue Shuhong’s lips.

“I will report my betrayal—my collusion with the Spirit Beasts and demons—to the Imperial Court without delay. And I will also formally report your defense of the city. With all these soldiers as witnesses, your merit is undeniable.”

“Merit?” Li Hao shook his head slightly. “It’s merely a small matter.”

Seeing the boy’s calm, unbothered demeanor, Yue Shuhong paused. He could see clearly—the youth’s gaze was sharp, unclouded. Not false humility.

But truthfully, it didn’t matter whether he was humble or not. The excess of merit was already undeniable.

In ordinary times, achieving merit was nearly impossible. Even during war, great deeds were rare.

The most common paths to glory were:

- Break the frontline

- Be the first to ascend

- Seize the banner

- Decapitate the general

Others included: Capture the leader, Annihilate the entire force.

The first two—Break the Frontline and First to Ascend—earned Second-Class Merit, enough under the Dawu Reward Statute to gain a Second-Class Rank.

Seize the Banner and Decapitate the General were First-Class Merit, far harder to achieve, and earned the reward of Third-Class Rank.

The Emperor Yu’s titles were divided into:

- Scholar Rank

- Son Rank

- Baron Rank

- Marquis Rank

- Duke Rank

Above the Duke Rank was the most revered: Divine Rank.

The ancestral spirits of the Five Divine General’s Residences all held Divine Rank—they had fought alongside the founding emperor, establishing the Great Yu Dynasty, earning unparalleled merit, passed down for a thousand years.

All other ranks were divided into three tiers. A First-Class Merit would immediately elevate someone to First-Class Scholar Rank.

A Second-Class Merit earned a Second-Class Scholar Rank.

If one already held Scholar Rank, another First-Class Merit, or three Second-Class Merits, they could be promoted to Son Rank—entitled to good farmland and land, equivalent to a landowning noble.

A Baron Rank could even receive a fief.

Merit was hard to achieve.

But today, Li Hao had saved the entire city with nothing but his own strength.

This was more than First-Class Merit—it surpassed all measure.

Exactly how it would be calculated, Yue Shuhong didn’t care. He’d leave it to the Imperial Court. But it would certainly be at least Third-Class Son Rank.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end