Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 396

Volume 3 - Chapter 103: Crossing the River of Death, the Fall of the Imperial City - Part 1

Wang Zhendong’s expression was extremely grave. It had been centuries since any demon or monster dared to invade the imperial capital.

The last time was six hundred years ago, when a demon king qin fan had dared to trespass, only to be decapitated by a sword that flew out from the Qiandao Palace. That demon king fell outside the city walls, and its blood flowed like a river, striking fear into many covetous demons and monsters.

And now, there were demons once again qin fan, even pushing the imperial capital to issue a plea for help. But where was the True Person?

“First, there was the war in Liangzhou, then Youzhou, then Qingzhou...”

Wang Zhenfeng’s eyes flickered. While his talent in passing the River of Death was not as great as Wang Zhendong’s, he was much more familiar with the conditions of the various provinces.

“I’ve long sensed that these demons are brewing a massive conspiracy. The True Person’s persistent absence might suggest hidden reasons. It seems these demons truly intend to wage a decisive war against the Great Yu Divine Dynasty!”

Wang Zhenfeng’s expression turned colder. These demons had ceased their attacks on other provinces, opting instead to strike directly at Great Yu’s heart. Were they planning to deal a lightning-fast blow to crush the imperial capital?

“His Majesty has issued an edict. When there is an edict, we must respond. I will head there immediately,” Wang Zhendong said in a deep voice.

He glanced at the others and said, “Zhenfeng, you stay here to guard Yunzhou and the ancestral shrine. Zhenping, you’ll accompany me. Yongzhi, immediately mobilize 300,000 soldiers from the Zhao Army and march to the imperial capital at full speed!”

The Wang family’s only officially recognized military force was the Zhao Battalion founded by their ancestor, which had never been disbanded. This was a sign of respect granted to the Wang family by Emperor Yu.

Wang Yongzhi nodded. “Leave it to me. Uncle Zhendong, you must be careful. I fear this is going to be a catastrophe!”

Wang Zhendong nodded slightly and turned to the Ksitigarbha Buddha, saying, “Send people to keep an eye on the Merit Rankings at all times. Also, dispatch death warriors to investigate the situation within. Once someone falls, their name will be erased from the Merit Rankings. Since we’ve learned that Li Hao’s name in the River of Death Battle Realm is Chong Er, we can monitor his life and death status through the rankings.”

Wang Yongzhi nodded again.

Wang Zhendong said no more and looked at Wang Zhenping. “Old Fourth, come with me.”

Wang Zhenping nodded. In this critical situation, he had already put aside his earlier grievances over his grandson and granddaughter being disciplined.

As the two departed, Wang Yongzhi quickly began counting personnel and organizing troops.

...

Within Qingzhen at the River of Death.

With the departure of Wang Zhendong and the other members of the Wang family, the small town became noticeably empty.

Meanwhile, Li Hao, who was resisting the corrosive power of the underworld-level River of Death, let out a breath of relief. His divine sense quickly enveloped the entire town, searching rapidly within.

It wasn’t long before he spotted several hidden ghostly figures scattered throughout the town, though their numbers were few.

It was evident that the Wang family’s Dao Domain practitioner had previously conducted a brief sweep.

Suddenly, within the ancestral shrine of the small town, Li Hao noticed a familiar figure.

Feng Lao!

That simple yet slightly regal dark robe was Feng Lao’s favorite daily attire.

At this moment, Feng Lao stood on the threshold of the ancestral shrine, gazing outside the small town with a distant and bewildered look, as if lost in thought or reminiscing about something.

Li Hao’s emotions surged. His spirit immediately flew out, teleporting rapidly toward the ancestral shrine.

His physical body remained in place, continuing to maintain the Dao Domain to shield the small town from the corrosive forces of the underworld-level River of Death. Although there were no longer Wang family members requiring his protection, leaving the domain would accelerate the River of Death’s encroachment, making it difficult to meet the conditions for passing the trial or avoid other unforeseen consequences.

For now, using a Dao Domain to tackle this underworld-level River of Death made many things easier. Had it been a typical Grandmaster, even the wandering souls in the small town would have been enough to overwhelm them.

...

A streak of fiery golden divine flame descended before the ancestral shrine.

The divine light converged, revealing Li Hao’s form. His voice was filled with excitement. “Feng Lao!”

Feng Boping retracted his gaze from the distance and looked at Li Hao with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

“Who are you?”

Li Hao paused, then quickly realized that this was merely a fragment of Feng Lao’s soul, likely with incomplete memories. He hurriedly said:

“It’s me! Fishing, fish soup, Little Mouse!”

“You helped me steal countless techniques and manuals, and even... a pair of a royal concubine’s silk stockings...”

Li Hao rattled off a series of secrets Feng Lao had once shared with him during their fishing trips.

Although he didn’t know what the trial conditions for passing the River of Death were, helping Feng Lao recall him might improve his chances.

“You also got me a bottle of divine pills to enhance my physique. And once, while fishing, you hooked a flood dragon but lost it when the hook broke. You were so angry that you killed it outright and couldn’t sleep for days...”

“Stop, stop, hold on!”

The confusion in Feng Boping’s eyes seemed to fade significantly. He quickly raised his hand to interrupt, clutching his chest as if in pain.

“Lost the hook? Impossible! This kid is talking nonsense!”

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, including some intent to kill the intruder. But when he heard “Little Mouse,” his memories seemed to jump erratically.

Feng Boping rubbed his forehead, his mind a chaotic mess. Then, some fragmented memories resurfaced, leaving him stunned.

He stared at Li Hao, his eyes growing wider. “Hao’er?!”

Li Hao was surprised and overjoyed. He hadn’t expected Feng Lao to truly remember him. Nodding repeatedly, he said, “It’s me!”

Feng Boping quickly regained his composure and asked urgently, “How did you get here?”

“I’ve come to take you out of this cursed place,” Li Hao replied.

“You...”

Feng Boping froze, his expression shifting. He raised his head and looked beyond the town’s borders.

When he saw the pitch-black, lightless sky outside the town, his gaze became unfocused again, as if he had seen something. For a moment, his eyes were filled with a strange daze.

But he quickly snapped back to reality and said firmly to Li Hao, “Leave now. You can’t complete the trial. That thing is coming!”

“That thing?”

Li Hao turned to look at the approaching underworld-level River of Death and asked, “Is it the River of Death? Feng Lao, do you know how to complete the trial? Let me take you out.”

“It’s too late. I can’t leave. I...”

Feng Boping looked toward the underworld-level River of Death, his tone heavy. “That thing is coming for me. It has already reflected me. Part of my obsession is trapped there. You can’t complete the trial.”

Li Hao’s heart trembled. The underworld-level River of Death was targeting Feng Lao? How could that be?

Although Feng Lao was powerful and had reached the Fourth Pillar Realm, he shouldn’t have drawn the attention of an underworld-level River of Death.

After all, even that elder in Dragon City who had perished was only targeted by a Netherworld-level River of Death.

Furthermore, the true obsession behind the Dragon City River of Death was none other than the War God Ji Yunge of the Dao Seeker Realm.

“Feng Lao, are you sure? Is your obsession really that deep?”

Li Hao couldn’t help but ask.

Under normal circumstances, Feng Boping would have been so exasperated by the question that he might have rolled his eyes. But now, his gaze remained fixed on the encroaching River of Death. A faint confusion crept into his voice as he muttered,

“I don’t know either. But I do know that I’m searching for something... something extremely important.”

Li Hao froze, his mind rapidly recalling past events.

During their fishing trips by the lake and other moments together, Feng Lao had shared almost everything with him, even stories of events so secret they were punishable by death. He had never been reserved.

But Feng Lao had never mentioned searching for something this critical.

After all, whatever he wanted, he had always managed to steal.

“Leave now. If I can’t find it, I can’t pass this trial.”

Feng Boping suddenly withdrew his gaze and said to Li Hao, “Go while the integration here isn’t complete. You still have time to escape. That place is far more terrifying than you can imagine. Once you fall into it, you will never escape.”

“I’ll try!”

Li Hao interrupted firmly.

The thought of Ji Yunge’s soul dissipating after being trapped in the River of Death for too long weighed on his mind. If he gave up now, this fragment of Feng Lao’s soul would be lost forever!

“Why are you so stubborn?!”

Feng Boping grew anxious at Li Hao’s determination. “If you keep delaying, you’ll die too!”

Li Hao said seriously, “Feng Lao, think carefully about what you’re searching for. I’ll help you find it!”

Feng Boping stared at him, his determined and resolute gaze causing a brief flicker of emotion to pass through his own. Suddenly, as if sensing something, he turned to look at the dark light outside.

At the edge of the River of Death, the black energy churned like waves, splitting apart to reveal a narrow path. Behind the path, another small town appeared.

It was as if a mirror had been placed before them, perfectly duplicating the small town. The boundary between the two towns was identical.

From within the replicated town, a figure slowly emerged. Dressed in dark robes, they descended to the boundary line and stood silently, staring at Feng Boping.

Feng Boping’s expression changed as he stared back at the figure.

Li Hao noticed that the figure approaching the boundary looked exactly like Feng Boping.

However, this reflection of Feng Boping had a much colder expression, with icy, murderous eyes.

Li Hao’s heart sank. Feng Lao had been correct—the underworld-level River of Death had indeed reflected his obsession. The trial’s conditions had shifted, and the fate of this Qingzhen at the River of Death seemed doomed to fusion!

“Do you want to know what his obsession is? If you do, join me for a round of fishing and see who catches something first.”

The reflected Feng Boping’s obsession suddenly spoke.

Li Hao’s expression changed. The voice sounded both unfamiliar and eerily familiar.

“Fishing for what?”

“You’ll know when you come.”

The reflected Feng Boping’s obsession sneered.

Li Hao gazed into the figure’s eyes, silent.

Beside him, Feng Boping snapped out of his thoughts and urgently warned, “Don’t listen to him! Don’t go over there!”

Li Hao slowly withdrew his gaze, shook his head slightly, and said softly,

“Wait for me.”

With those two simple words, he took a step forward.

Feng Boping’s expression changed drastically. “You’ll die!”

“Even if I die, I’ll take you out of here!”

Li Hao didn’t look back as he strode toward the reflected Feng Boping’s obsession outside the town. “You protected me once; now I’ll protect you for a lifetime!”

Feng Boping froze, standing in place and watching as the young man’s spirit sped forward.

Outside the small town, the reflected Feng Boping’s obsession slightly narrowed his cold, murderous eyes. It was clear he hadn’t expected Li Hao to show such resolve in the face of life and death.

“Speak. How do we fish?”

...

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