Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 246

Volume 3 - Chapter 13: The Battle of Dragon City, The Sacrifice of Nine Sons

Li Hao used the Azure Frost Sword to cut his own finger, yet the wound healed almost instantly.

Even the lingering sword qi from the Azure Frost Sword could not hinder the speed of his regeneration.

Li Hao realized that even if he were to lose a limb, it would regrow within a single breath. Such a terrifying vitality—what kind of monstrous life force was this?

"Undying, indestructible, and unaging... These are the Three Immortals," he thought. At this moment, it seemed he had reached the brink of true immortality.

“If I reach the Extreme Realm, it would mean achieving true immortality…”

Li Hao reflected inwardly.

But there was a trace of regret. Though he was incredibly close to the limit, he had not yet broken through to the Extreme Realm.

At this time, when Li Hao was seventeen, the demons and monsters outside Dragon City had already begun to stir.

Though no major battle had broken out, sporadic demon attacks on the city walls tested their defenses repeatedly.

Each of these skirmishes demanded a steadfast defense from Dragon City's soldiers. Without their tenacious resistance, the demons might have already launched a full-scale assault.

...

At the dining table of the Divine General Mansion, the atmosphere grew heavier with each passing day.

“Where is Xingbei? Is he still guarding the city?”

Li Tianzong asked somberly while picking at his food.

Chen Hefang, who had adorned herself less lavishly than before, now appeared more austere. The family had sent much of their resources to the frontlines, forcing everyone in the mansion to tighten their belts.

“He’s out there with Feng Ping, and they’re watching each other’s backs. You don’t need to worry too much,” Chen Hefang said softly, her eyes filled with concern. “Since you’re back, take some time to rest and replenish your strength.”

Li Tianzong fell silent for a moment before saying, “If I could step into the Taiping Dao Stage, those demons wouldn’t dare to act so recklessly…”

Chen Hefang let out a bitter smile. “The Taiping Dao Stage isn’t so easy to reach. Every step in the Four Pillar Realm is like ascending the heavens. You’ve already done exceptionally well.”

Li Tianzong said nothing more and lowered his head to eat in silence.

When his gaze landed on Li Hao during the meal, the solemnity in his eyes softened slightly, showing a trace of relief.

“As long as we hold on for another ten years, Xiao Shi will surely step into the Taiping Dao Stage. By then, those demons will cower before him…” Li Tianzong had immense confidence in Li Hao’s talent.

Although talent and aptitude mattered less at the Four Pillar Realm and beyond—where fortune and comprehension became the focus—Li Tianzong believed Li Hao could achieve it.

Li Hao sighed inwardly at his father’s words. Ten years? That seemed an unattainable luxury.

In just a year, would his strength even be enough to shield Dragon City?

Li Hao thought of breaking through but recalled what Li Xiaoran had said: that over a hundred demon kings had appeared within four days during a siege. The weight of this knowledge pressed heavily on his heart.

Among the enemies this time were the Candlefire God and the ancient dragon Lu Yuan.

Li Hao shook his head. He dared not allow himself to become too engrossed in comprehending the Dao Heart, for fear that the accelerated flow of time would leap ahead directly to the decisive moment a year later. Before that, he needed to enhance his physical strength and push his cultivation to the peak of every stage.

Only then could he maximize his combat power.

...

After finishing his meal, Li Hao excused himself and returned to his cultivation.

If he could refine one more skill into the Spirit Realm and elevate his mastery of the Dao of Royalty to the seventh stage, it would greatly enhance his battle strength.

Li Hao placed this hope in the Dao of Painting.

He devoted himself fully to the art of painting. During breaks, he patrolled the city with Li Xiaoran, hunting demons.

...

Now, the demons within the city had largely been eradicated.

Sometimes, they ventured beyond the city walls to search for threats.

Dragon City was even larger than Li Hao had imagined, but the distant skies outside the city were pitch-black, as if they led into an endless abyss.

That place seemed unreachable even in thought, hiding countless demons.

The demon kings Li Hao hunted were absorbed using the True Demon Art of Ten Thousand Bloods, continuously tempering and strengthening his body.

“Painting…”

Occasionally, Li Hao would sit atop the city walls, gazing into the distance while sketching with his brush.

This sight puzzled the other soldiers on the wall, but they knew that this scion of the Li family was an extraordinary talent, unmatched in his time. They kept their thoughts to themselves and focused on their duties.

With each stroke of his brush, Li Hao captured the distant, shadowy horizon, rendering it as an inverted abyss that sent chills down anyone’s spine.

The Dao of Painting had long been perfected, and Li Hao immersed himself in the spiritual resonance of his art.

Day by day, Li Hao painted on the city walls. For ten consecutive days, countless sketches piled up, depicting the pitch-black horizon and grotesque demons peeking out from the abyss.

Finally, when Li Hao completed a painting titled Myriad Demons Emerging from the Abyss, he felt a faint trace of spiritual resonance.

Perhaps influenced by the desolate atmosphere of the barren land outside, his state of mind grew somber, and the demons in his painting seemed ready to leap off the canvas.

While meditating on the Dao of Painting, Li Hao noticed the surrounding time accelerating, though not as quickly as when contemplating the Dao Heart.

He faintly sensed this was a hidden rule of the River of Death, designed to prevent anyone from using this place for enlightenment.

Immersing oneself too deeply in the Dao would cause the river to speed up, eventually forcing one out or pushing them into an ultimate deadlock.

“It seems that unless one reaches the Taiping Dao Stage and envelops oneself in the Dao Domain to shield against the river’s laws, living freely here is impossible.”

Li Hao pondered this, wondering about the current whereabouts of the Candlefire God. Was he hiding among the demons, cultivating, or conspiring to command them?

Li Hao didn’t know. For now, he continued his routine of demon hunting and refining the Dao of Painting, aware that half a year had quietly passed in the River of Death.

Demon attacks became more frequent and ferocious.

...

One day, after another leap in time, Li Hao returned to the Divine General Mansion to find two coffins in the main hall. Inside lay the bodies of his eldest brother, Li Xingbei, and his second brother, Li Fengping, who had yet to be buried.

Li Hao’s face darkened. Spotting Li Xiaoran, he immediately transmitted his voice to inquire about the situation.

Li Xiaoran, who had now regained the strength of the Absolute Technique Stage, explained that Li Xingbei and Li Fengping had died defending the city from a surprise attack by demon kings. Although they managed to hold the line, it cost them their lives.

Both had reached the Three Immortals Realm, their talents extraordinary, but they couldn’t match Li Hao’s ability to slay demon kings with ease.

Li Hao’s face darkened as he observed the coffins. The tragedy wasn’t confined to the River of Death, as even in reality, similar events might have transpired due to the brutal nature of this battlefield.

“You don’t need to be too tense. Passing through this place is already incredibly difficult,” Li Xiaoran said to Li Hao through a sound transmission. “If it becomes too much, I can guide you to retreat through the ancestral shrine, the only exit from Dragon City and a way to leave the River of Death.”

Li Xiaoran continued, his tone cautious. “You are only at the Three Immortals Realm now. Even if you reach the Dao Heart Stage, it will still be challenging. I suspect that later stages of the Dragon City siege will include demon kings at the Taiping Dao Stage. Adding to this, the Void Stage ruler who entered this place has made this trial even harder than usual.”

Watching Li Hao’s extraordinary talent unfold had shifted Li Xiaoran’s perspective. Rather than risking everything to clear the River of Death, ensuring Li Hao’s survival now seemed paramount.

As their eldest brother in the River of Death had said, Li Hao represented the future of the Li family.

With Li Hao’s exceptional talent, as long as he continued to cultivate, he could one day lead the Li family to glory akin to the era of their ancestors.

When Li Hao stepped into the Taiping Dao Stage, they could return to conquer the River of Death together. Given his rapid cultivation speed, it wouldn’t take too long.

Hearing this, Li Hao nodded slightly. Their main mission was to defend Dragon City, while the Candlefire God’s goal was likely its destruction.

“Our eldest brother left a back door for us, knowing we descendants would one day come to release him and bring him home…”

Li Xiaoran’s gaze landed on the grief-stricken soul fragment of their eldest brother in the hall. Although this was not his real brother but a soul fragment manipulated by the River of Death, he still felt ripples of emotion.

But he quickly suppressed them.

This wasn’t his first time in the River of Death.

The scenes before him were ones he had witnessed countless times before.

Li Hao stood in silence as well, watching the others in the hall.

The other seven sons, including the fifteen-year-old Li Hongzhuang, wore expressions of grief. Some clenched their fists in anger, while others seethed with hatred toward the demons.

Li Hongzhuang, clad in a lady’s dress with dangling ornaments, had always appeared as a refined noblewoman. Her outfit subtly demanded elegance, with the movement of her skirt and earrings reflecting the restraint of proper decorum.

Yet at this moment, her eyes were red, brimming with unshed tears as she stared at the coffins, lost in thought.

Li Hao knew that in this River of Death, Li Hongzhuang would inevitably follow the same path as in the real world—transforming from a wealthy noblewoman into a warrior wielding a sword.

Perhaps this was a fate they could not escape.

Li Hao averted his gaze from the sorrowful scene. Maintaining his composure, he chose to accelerate time, skipping past the mournful cries and heartbroken faces. His focus was on the growth task that was nearing 100% completion.

Eighteen years of age was fast approaching, and the recent deaths of Li Xingbei and Li Fengping signified that the prelude to the war had begun. Li Hao had to concentrate even harder on martial arts.

...

A few days later, Li Ziye, the sixth brother, was killed by a demon king who infiltrated the city. By the time Li Hao and Li Xiaoran arrived, only half of Li Ziye’s body remained. The sight was heart-wrenching.

Although they knew this was the River of Death and that everyone except Li Tianzong was born of his obsessions, the sight of Li Ziye’s mangled corpse, dying so painfully, ignited a seething anger within Li Hao.

Recalling how, at four years old, Li Ziye had stayed by his bedside after a demon ambush left him injured, Li Hao couldn’t suppress his fury.

Drawing his sword, Li Hao unleashed a devastating strike, cleaving the demon king in two and splitting the street with his divine power.

After slaying the demon king, Li Hao returned to Li Ziye’s side. His sixth brother had already taken his last breath, yet his eyes remained open, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

It was as if, in his final moments, he had seen Li Hao arrive and kill the demon king, finding solace in the knowledge that his reinforcements had come.

Li Hao gently closed Li Ziye’s eyes.

The thought of Li Ziye’s caring nature made Li Hao reflect silently. In reality, this man, though just a figment of obsession in the River of Death, would likely have been just as kind and gentle if alive.

“Yuan Zhao, you had a good father…” Li Hao thought to himself.

Sadly, Yuan Zhao had never met his father, who perished in battle before his birth.

Li Hao carried Li Ziye’s body back to the Divine General Mansion.

Seeing his mother, Chen Hefang, wailing in grief with streaks of white already creeping into her hair, Li Hao wanted to offer comforting words. Yet, no words came to him, and he ultimately remained silent.

With a clenched fist, he accelerated time again, bypassing the tearful gazes and sorrowful wails around him.

...

A month later, the third and fourth brothers fell in quick succession.

Somehow, a new wave of demons infiltrated Dragon City. The defensive arrays failed to detect their presence, leaving Li Hao perplexed.

“Back then, it was the same. The demons infiltrated the city and killed the demon with the Great Yu Divine Dynasty’s imperial order, seizing its command token…” Li Xiaoran said grimly.

Li Hao remained silent. This memory, burned into Li Tianzong’s mind, had become a heart demon, distorting events and creating irrational scenarios in this River of Death.

As Li Hao immersed himself in the Dao of Painting, nearing the completion of his growth task, he suddenly received a notification: the task was complete.

The four characters were clear and precise—a reason for celebration. Yet, Li Hao felt a sinking weight in his chest.

Glancing at the River of Death’s clearance progress, he found that completing the growth task only contributed 10% to his overall progress.

Meanwhile, the countless demons he had slain accounted for just 3%.

A mere 13% in total.

At the same time, a new notification for the main task appeared—it had officially begun.

When the golden characters of the River of Death faded, Li Hao felt the city walls beneath his feet tremble slightly.

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