Cultivation Begins from Infancy - Chapter 231

Volume 3 - Chapter 4: Stabilizing Liang Province - Part 2

As Li Hao and Li Xiaoran entered the River of Death, the battle in front of Liang Province's second defensive line reached its most intense moment.

Without Zhuhuo Shen and Lu Yuan holding the line, the forces of the Taixu Realm, the Sacred Palace, Dragon Gate, and other demon kings—who had already infiltrated Liang Province from other borders—secretly sabotaged important cities, cutting off their intelligence transmissions.

Upon hearing of the dire situation at the second defensive line, all these forces rushed to the scene.

The appearance of several demon kings caused the previously advantageous situation at the second defensive line to become precarious once more.

At that moment, reinforcements from the Xia family arrived.

The reinforcements included elders from the Xia family at the Fourth Pillar Realm, who, together with the Tianji Hermit, blocked the incoming demon kings.

Shortly after the Xia family arrived, another elder at the Fourth Pillar Realm appeared—this time from the Chen family.

Thanks to Chen Hefang's connection, the Chen family, one of the Five Great Divine General Mansions, had long held friendly relations with the Li family. However, the great distance between their territories delayed their arrival. After all, they had to traverse hundreds of thousands of miles, crossing several major provinces.

As reinforcements continued to pour in, the battle before the second defensive line erupted into an earth-shattering conflict.

Earlier, the 20 Haotian battle flags dispatched by Li Hao were delivered to the second defensive line by a master at the Heaven and Man Realm, wearing Haotian Army battle armor.

The addition of the 20 Haotian battle flags further stabilized the situation, severely injuring one of the demon kings and nearly killing it.

Outside the battlefield, a figure riding on auspicious clouds appeared high in the sky.

Lin Wujing’s gaze locked onto the battlefield, his expression dark. He had thought he was here to relieve a desperate situation, only to find that his arrival merely added to an already well-executed plan.

As he looked at the majestic, unified flags fluttering across the battlefield, a mix of astonishment and anger flickered in his eyes. He vividly recalled witnessing that young man's methods during the competition for the true dragon at the Li family estate just over a year ago. To think that in such a short time, the youth had grown to this level.

“They’ve gone to the River of Death?” Lin Wujing asked in a low voice.

Beside him, a girl resembling a child responded respectfully, “Yes, they headed in that direction. Based on the intelligence we just gathered, they have all entered the River of Death.”

Lin Wujing’s eyes flickered, but he said nothing.

After a brief pause, he finally said, “You may leave.”

The girl nodded, her figure flickering as she transformed into a green-feathered bird and disappeared into the distance.

“So, Qingzhou hasn’t sent anyone...”

Lin Wujing’s gaze turned toward the city walls where a figure was battling a demon king, radiating dazzling divine light. That figure was the Li family duke who had defended Yanbei for over a decade.

The duke’s meritorious service had earned him accolades comparable to the elders of the Li family.

At this moment, the duke’s cultivation and strength had also reached the Fourth Pillar Realm.

Lin Wujing’s eyes gleamed briefly before he shot toward the battlefield.

With the appearance of his auspicious cloud, he raised his hand and unleashed a lotus-like beam of violet light, silently targeting a demon king from the Dragon Gate.

By the time the Dragon Gate demon king sensed Lin Wujing’s attack, it was too late. The violet Buddhist light struck it heavily, causing it to cough up blood.

“Bastard!”

The Dragon Gate demon king roared in fury, realizing the situation was now entirely out of control. Frustration and rage boiled within.

...

Lin Wujing said nothing further and joined the battle directly.

For a time, the battlefield shook as though the heavens and earth were collapsing. Some demon kings from the Dragon Gate managed to escape and called for their great elder, but no response came.

Meanwhile, the remaining demon kings of the Taixu Realm learned that their sect master and his wife had pursued the Haotian Major General, only to disappear without a trace. This news filled them with both fury and despair.

Another day passed.

Royal forces arrived, sweeping through Liang Province and driving out the demons that had taken advantage of the chaos. Battles erupted everywhere, with flames of war lighting up the region.

As the battle outside the second defensive line finally subsided, Li Xuanli commanded the remaining forces capable of combat to raise the Haotian Marshal’s banner and sweep through the surrounding cities, thoroughly expelling the remaining demons from Liang Province.

With the earlier departure of the three Absolute Technique Stage demon kings, coupled with reinforcements arriving from all sides, the dire crisis that had nearly wiped out Liang Province was temporarily stabilized.

The demons’ rapid assault had failed, and once the Great Yu Divine Dynasty's reinforcements arrived, the demons could no longer mount a successful offensive, especially with the disappearance of Zhuhuo Shen, Lu Yuan, and other high-ranking demon kings.

“We’ve held the line!”

Li Xuanli gazed at the blood-red sunset beyond the defensive line and the fields of demon corpses piled high, wiping blood from his face as he felt a surge of emotion.

Li Hongzhuang’s crimson battle armor was soaked with even more blood, bits of flesh tangled in her hair. She, too, smiled, but her expression shifted slightly upon noticing the flags fluttering triumphantly.

As the battlefield calmed, the surviving soldiers raised the battle flags high, cheering in jubilation.

Yet, among them were many grief-stricken faces, searching desperately for the bodies of fallen comrades and loved ones.

Some survivors wept uncontrollably, overwhelmed by sorrow.

Veteran border soldiers, accustomed to the brutality of war, showed little reaction beyond the relief of having survived.

In contrast, many young scions from noble families, experiencing such a massive battle for the first time, either cried tears of joy or embraced one another, weeping bitterly.

This profound joy and sorrow tempered the young men and women who once dreamed of roaming the world with swords, forcing them to grow in a single night.

“Father! I survived!”

Elder members of noble families frantically searched the battlefield for their descendants.

Some, having survived the battle, crawled out from under the torn flags, their faces alight with relief.

Scattered across the battlefield, groups of survivors gathered around the battle flags fluttering in the wind.

The flags’ intimidating presence had kept the demons from attacking recklessly, allowing these survivors to escape death.

“We survived! We all survived!”

“Thanks to the military flags! Those demons feared them like fire repels wild beasts!”

These survivors, having personally endured the battle, deeply understood the immense sense of security the Haotian battle flags provided.

This deterrence did not originate from the flags themselves but from the two characters emblazoned upon them.

Amidst the cheers and cries of anguish, the battlefield resounded with a deafening chant, a name shouted by millions.

The thunderous roar, like a tidal wave, reached the ears of Li Xuanli and the others atop the city walls. The joy of having defended countless civilians faded from their hearts, replaced by a grim expression.

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