Follow the path of Dao from infancy

Chapter 266: Chapter 43: Slaying Demons Outside the Pass

Outside the pass, the cold wind blows in gusts.

Li Hao moved through the air, flying toward an even more distant place.

This time he no longer needed to worry about the possibility of being ambushed by a Demon King at any moment, necessitating seeking refuge with Feng to escape.

Though he was only at the peak of the Three Immortal Realms, Li Hao felt that even if he encountered a Demon King of the Tao Heart Realm, he could still fight without having to transform into an immortal.

Regrettably,

when he tried to increase his level, from the seventh stage to the eighth stage of the Physical Body Path, he was prompted that he needed to condense his Tao Heart.

The first step of the Four Stands Realm, the Tao Heart Realm, might be the weakest, but it's of utmost importance.

Li Hao could only rely on himself to find that Tao Heart before being able to level up.

Li Hao felt that once he found the Tao Heart and leveled up, he might very likely step directly into the peak of the Four Stands Realm, which is the level of the Buddha Lord.

By that time, apart from the Imperial Court, there should be no place in the Dayu Realm that could stop him.

Within three hundred miles outside the pass, Li Hao had already fished and flattened the area before.

Now passing through again, Li Hao saw only a small number of minor demons, who had wandered here, settling down to seek food, and he killed them with a flick of his hand.

The demons in this wild area were like weeds, growing back if not cleared regularly.

Li Hao planned to make some of his own banners to plant in these areas afterward, to let these demons know that these lands were off-limits to them.

Seven hundred miles away lay the Wanshan District.

This place was formerly forbidden territory for the Human Race, entry forbidden or else the Wan Shan Demon King would capture and kill those who trespassed, and not even the Dayu Divine Dynasty could issue a warrant for him.

But now, Li Hao stepped directly into this land.

On his way, he casually slew four Heavenly Human Realm demons.

These demons occupied their own territories, each extending about a hundred miles, not infringing upon each other.

Li Hao didn't give them a chance to speak, simply raising his hand to kill them and even flattening their territories.

When Li Hao arrived at this once forbidden district, he saw that the once picturesque Wanshan mountains were now deathly silent.

Inside, there were only a few minor demons of the Zhou Tian Realm, with little spirit intelligence.

The rest of the demons had vanished.

Either they perished in the great battle, or they fled the area upon hearing the news.

Racing through, Li Hao saw caverns the demons had carved into the mountainsides, reeking inside.

On the mountaintops, there were demon flags imitating the Human Race, with "Wan Shan" written on them, tattered and obliquely positioned against mountain slopes, stripped of their former pride.

Li Hao unleashed his Divine Soul to survey the entire Wanshan territory.

Encountering some minor demons with bared teeth, he simply slapped them to death.

Nearing the central area, the mountain peak of the Wan Shan Demon King was perilous, with a stone staircase leading to the summit, built in splendor.

At the summit stood a hall resembling a golden throne, standing like a palace in the deep mountains, fierce with a touch of demonic eeriness.

Around it were giant lion sculptures, depicting the true form of the Wan Shan Demon King, on whose pedestals dragons and phoenixes were carved, as if they were melodiously pleasing the giant lions.

Li Hao flew past, casually shattering them.

With a physical strength of one million jin, he could easily shatter mountains and rocks with his bare hands.

If he wielded objects with his power, with one thought he could move mountains, with another he could cleave peaks.

"You didn't rush off too hastily."

Li Hao saw that nothing was left inside the palatial halls, except the jewelry and jade inlaid as decorations, which held little value for demons besides their ability to shine.

Making a full round, Li Hao found no gains; the Immortal Realm demons' dens were also empty, evidently having prepared an escape route before the great battle.

Li Hao kicked and shattered the grand hall, resembling a palace, then soared into the sky, leaving the place.

He changed direction, heading toward the southern area, to Longshan Taoist Temple.

...

...

Inside Longshan Taoist Temple,

The once bustling temple was now empty and quiet on the vast Enlightenment Ground.

The thin smoke of incense that used to billow was now reduced to just a few sticks burning—barely any ash remained.

Two untransformed little demons sneaked in, wriggling through a dog hole at the back of the temple. Seeing the deserted ground, they bared their teeth in secret delight.

They then ran to the incense, forcefully puffing up their chests, eager to suckle.

But suddenly, a shadow loomed over them, followed by the stench of rotting flesh and the buzzing of swarming insects, covering both small demons.

The two small demons showed a look of terror; before they could struggle or scream, they were completely enveloped and then dissolved into bloody water. The trace of demonic Qi squeezed from their bodies wafted into the mouth of a mummy-like demon.

"Mountain yokels, daring to suckle on dragon incense."

The mummy demon snorted coldly. This incense was not ordinary; it was blended with special demon flesh and blood. The burning incense contained a unique demonic Qi, which, when inhaled for cultivation, could enhance Cultivation Levels.

"The Dragon Lord is taking his time returning. The last information gathered was that the attack on Heavenly Gate Pass failed."

A seductive woman with the lower body of a centipede swam over, her fan concealing her face as she spoke softly,

"Husband, it's just us here now. Shouldn't we leave as well? The Dragon Lord probably isn't coming back."

"Leave? Where can we go?"

The mummy demon shook his head, "If the Dragon Lord comes back and sees we're not here, he will hunt us down."

"We can flee somewhere else, to the north of the Dayu Divine Dynasty, to Northern Yan. They just ended a battle there, and I heard that many demons died, so many territories should have been vacated. We could go there and declare ourselves kings," the seductive centipede woman suggested.

"There is a holy palace over there. Although they retreated several thousand miles after being defeated, if we go there, we need to signal the holy palace, after all, we're not just any ordinary yokel demons."