Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 388

Volume 3 - Chapter 99: Are You Chong Er? - Part 1

After bidding farewell to the group, Li Hao set off with Candlefire God and Xiyan, heading toward the Wang family in Yunzhou.

Their journey was swift, crossing mountains and rivers, pursuing the fastest route. Even traveling in a straight line, they had to traverse six or seven large provinces, covering nearly a million miles.

However, Li Hao had no interest in sightseeing this time. He was focused solely on rushing to his destination.

Candlefire God galloped with blazing speed, its fiery hooves cutting through the sky. By the next day, they arrived at Yunzhou's borders.

In Yunzhou, various factions and martial sects were scattered across the land, but all bore the influence of the Wang family. Ever since the imperial capital revoked the military authority to guard the passes, the Wang family had extended its reach into these martial forces, using sects as fronts to train troops. If the day ever came when Yunzhou was invaded by demons, these scattered forces would unite into a solid wall of steel.

Despite appearing disorganized, the martial sects possessed armor and weaponry so refined that even demons would think twice before attacking.

Whether the elder in the imperial capital chose to turn a blind eye to this or not was anyone's guess.

Candlefire God descended and landed outside the Divine General Mansion of the Wang family.

This magnificent and imposing mansion, located at the heart of Yunzhou City, exuded dominance. Above the entrance, the words "Tianzhao Divine General Mansion" shone in golden brilliance, inspiring awe in all who beheld them.

The demonic aura emanating from Candlefire God startled the guards at the gate, but they quickly realized what it signified and hurried inside to report.

When the news broke, the Tianzhao Divine General Mansion erupted in shock.

The legendary General Haotian, who resided millions of miles away, had come to Yunzhou!

Everyone was deeply curious about this young general who had recently caused such a stir. At just sixteen years old, he had achieved countless military victories and feats that were the envy of all warriors.

His name alone evoked excitement and intrigue.

This young man had already taken on a mythic quality.

“Is it true? General Haotian has come to our Wang family?”

“I heard from my father that he’s never seen the general at court. Despite all his accolades, General Haotian has never once attended the imperial court!”

“Why would he come here?”

“They say it’s about the River of Death.”

“The River of Death? Now that’s interesting. Is he here to consult our family or perhaps eyeing the treasures in the Merit Treasury?”

“What else could it be? The Merit Treasury is something everyone covets. Without it, I wouldn’t have known that martial arts could even reach the extreme realms.”

“Let’s go, let’s go! We have to see him for ourselves.”

The younger generation of the Wang family buzzed with excitement.

In today’s Great Yu, prosperity had turned to decline, and peace had given way to chaos. Against this backdrop, the name of Haotian had risen like a comet. In just two years, his name was mentioned far too often, even humbling the prideful young masters of the Divine General Mansion.

If the gap between them were small, they might have tried to compete, but the disparity between them and this youth was insurmountable. Even their esteemed elders—grandfathers and uncles—paled in comparison to him, extinguishing any competitive ambitions among their peers.

At the same time, Wang Yongzhi, the patriarch of the Wang family, who appeared to be in his forties, led a group of influential members of the Wang family to greet him at the gate.

Although this reception was somewhat grandiose, Wang Yongzhi was a sharp individual. From the recent incident involving the Buddhist Sect, he discerned that this young man was anything but simple—perhaps even terrifying—and not someone the Wang family could afford to offend.

Soon, at the gates of the Divine General Mansion, the crowd saw the youth seated atop the smaller version of the fierce and fiery Candlefire God.

The young man’s complexion was fair and handsome, his dark eyes deep and clear like polished jade. He lacked the arrogance and overbearing demeanor they had imagined. Instead, his demeanor was reserved and composed, exuding a sense of solitude and ethereal grace, as if he sat alone atop a desolate mountain.

Wang Yongzhi’s gaze turned serious, but he smiled warmly and cupped his hands in greeting. “You must be General Haotian. Although we have not met before, I have long admired your name, as famous as thunder in the ears!”

“You are the Wang Patriarch?”

Li Hao noted the man’s central position, signifying respect. He dismounted from the scaled-down version of the imposing Candlefire God, giving a slight bow in return.

As Li Hao dismounted, Candlefire God transformed into a fiery blaze, emerging as a young man with a cold and piercing gaze, standing silently behind Li Hao.

Beside Wang Yongzhi, two Wang family elders stared solemnly, feeling a chill in their hearts.

Despite prior rumors, seeing this ruler of the Void Realm so obediently subdued by Li Hao was still astonishing.

Since the battle in Liang Province, this Void Realm ruler had revealed strength close to the Dao Realm.

In every Divine General Mansion, such a being would be considered peak combat strength. Yet here he was, serving as a mere mount for the young general.

“Greetings, General Haotian,” said the influential members of the Wang family, bowing respectfully. Despite their seniority, they were dwarfed by the youth in terms of achievements and rank.

“General Haotian, please,” Wang Yongzhi invited warmly, with a rare humility mirrored by the others.

At first, the Wang family had been astonished when news arrived of Li Hao slaying the Buddha Lord. However, as the situation developed and detailed reports came in—some from spies planted within the Buddhist Sect—it was revealed that the Buddha Lord had ascended to the Dao Seeker Realm before being killed by Li Hao.

This revelation was deeply unsettling.

Previously, the Buddha Lord had only displayed strength at the Supreme Dao Realm. While formidable, this level was still within the Wang family’s accumulated capabilities, bolstered by prodigies who had entered the immortal sects centuries ago.

The Dao Seeker Realm, however, was entirely different—a level only surpassed by saints.

When they finally reached the grand hall of the Wang family’s mansion, Li Hao exchanged a few pleasantries before impatiently asking, “Patriarch Wang, earlier you mentioned finding the soul of Feng Boping?”

Hearing Li Hao’s respectful mention of Feng Boping, Wang Yongzhi recalled the young man’s furious vengeance against the Buddha Lord for the sake of the thief-saint. Sighing inwardly, he explained, “General Haotian, there is no need for haste. His Majesty has already instructed us. The thief-saint’s soul appears to be incomplete, with only faint remnants of his consciousness. He is currently trapped in a Underworld-level River of Death.”

“When we located him, I sent my second uncle, Wang Zhendong, to attempt to pass through.”

A Underworld-level River of Death?

Li Hao sighed in relief—at least it wasn’t Underworld-level.

The last time he passed through the River of Death in Dragon City, he had barely escaped with his life.

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