Follow the path of Dao from infancy

The bird demon that rushed over was terrified when the Sword Qi soared into the sky. It stopped abruptly, hurriedly retreating to shrink away at a rapid pace, dodging out of the range of the Sword Qi.

Only when it saw that the myriad Sword Qi continued to baptize the corpses of the demons until they vanished did the bird come back to its senses, too shocked to speak.

"This, this banner has a Sword Array on it?!"

"How is that possible!"

"Since when could the Heavenly Observatory of the Dayu Divine Dynasty arrange such terrifying, such precise Arrays!!"

The bird trembled all over, its feathers quivering as if its blood had congealed; though spring had arrived, it felt colder than the depths of winter.

For some, it might be their spring.

But for them, the demons, it was a harsh winter!

The bird was so weak that it blew the mysterious whistle, and before long, numerous birds from the Tianji Palace gathered.

Upon seeing the ring of clear sky above the mountain peak, they were astonished, chirping and chirping as they inquired about the situation.

After learning the reason, all the birds were stunned, staring dumbfounded at the tranquil mountaintop.

The corpse of the Three Immortal Demon lay there sprawled out.

A single banner had vanquished a Great Demon of the Three Immortal Realms!

And such banners... If they remembered correctly, more than thirty had already been planted!

Moreover, every once in a while, a few more would be added, covering all the peaks of the eastern sector outside the pass, places where the energy of heaven and earth was dense, with them!

"This, these are all that youth's battle flags!"

"He, he wants to turn this entire five-thousand-mile region into his territory?!"

The numerous birds of the Tianji Palace trembled with fear and palpitations.

The power and capability of that youth were something they could no longer comprehend.

The red bird transformed into a red-dress girl, her face cute and lively with spirits, but filled with horror.

She worked in intelligence, was widely traveled, and had seen many geniuses of the Dayu Divine Dynasty over the past hundred years.

But that glittering century paled in comparison to what had been witnessed in this short year!

The terror of the astonishing youth seemed to emanate a majestic authority that suppressed the present age, even from thousands of miles away!

Suddenly, she somewhat understood why that youth dared to come alone to oversee the Heavenly Gate Pass.

It wasn't a blessing for them, the demons, but for that youth himself.

He was far more ferocious and fearsome than rumored in Qingzhou, like a fierce deity released from its cage, truly unleashing its sharp edges and claws!

"Quick, quickly relay the message, do not approach this banner at any cost, and we will find someone to transport one back to see what kind of Sword Array is on this banner."

The girl in the red dress hastily said.

The numerous birds were solemn and rapidly dispersed.

...

Inside the small fenced courtyard.

Li Hao's panel flashed before his eyes, and he saw the marker count jump from 35/180 to 34/180.

Immediately, he knew that one of the markers had been destroyed.

Li Hao's eyebrows slightly raised, and he immediately sent his shadow alter ego to investigate and to demand an explanation from the Tianji Palace.

It wasn't long before the shadow alter ego returned, bringing along the corpse of a Three Immortal Realm Demon.

Meanwhile, birds from the Tianji Palace awaited along the way, treating the shadow alter ego as Li Hao, offering apologies and explanations.

The shadow alter ego didn't speak but casually crushed the bird demon to death.

The Tianji Palace, furious upon hearing this, dared not retaliate. The next day, they sent another bird demon to inquire about the cause, and Li Hao stated it was just a first-time lesson.

Actions often spoke louder than words.

The messenger bird shakily returned, relaying Li Hao's words to the Tianji Palace, which was shocked and angry but powerless to act.

Yet after this incident, the Tianji Palace promoted Li Hao's notorious reputation even more vigorously. The Three Immortal Realm Demons, though skeptical, dared not really take the risk and eventually slowly left the area beyond the pass, seeking other places to find their fortunes.

Even though some of the mountains, hills, and marshlands outside the pass were the "ancestral lands" of numerous demons,

the place of their birth.

Even as demons, they felt affection and reliance on their birthplace.

But they knew that as long as that youth oversaw the Heavenly Gate Pass, the ancestral land didn't belong to them.

Fortunately, the demons had lifespans that stretched eons and were more patient than the human race; they could wait decades, or even a century before returning, by which time that young man would have most likely left.

And to some Great Demons, a century was merely a period for secluded meditation and cultivation.

The area beyond the pass became ever more silent.

All that remained was the empty scenery.

Thousands of miles beyond the frontier pass, demons had vanished, with only the occasional ignorant lesser demon wandering in.

...

Time flew by.

After the spring rains, the scorching days of summer arrived.

Cangya City became increasingly bustling and prosperous, and the number of passersby grew.

In the blazing summer heat, on the Dragon Pass Road leading to Cangya City, there were a few scattered travelers heading towards the city, as well as a merchant caravan.

And, tens of miles outside Dragon Pass Road, within a dense forest,

a bloated demon crawled out from the woods.

Soon, it caught sight of the broad and white Dragon Pass Road ahead, and bloodlust appeared in its eyes...

Just as it was about to crawl forward, an old tree in the dense forest suddenly spoke, "You should not go any further."

"Hmm?"

The demon stopped, turning to look at the old tree demon that had spoken; had it not said anything, the demon might not have noticed it at all.

Its face shifted slightly, and it said coldly, "What's the matter?"

The old tree demon said hoarsely, "Go any further, and you'll be on Dragon Pass Road."

"Hmph, what road? What does it matter if it's Dragon Pass Road?"

the bloated demon snorted.

"Once you reach Dragon Pass Road, you can't continue forward; that territory belongs to the human race!" the old tree demon sighed.

"Human race?"

"Wasn't this road long since claimed as the territory of our demon kind? How dare the human race come here?"

"You must be from another province."

The old tree demon swayed its branches slightly as if shaking its head, "What you're talking about is from the past. Now, what demons are there? There are only the corpses of our kind, mountains of bodies and seas of blood!"

"Hmm?"

The bloated demon frowned and looked towards Dragon Pass Road, but all it saw were some tasty looking members of the human race, like walking little sweets.

"Do you see that military flag?"

The old tree demon's branches moved, pointing to a military flag pierced into a high rock next to Dragon Pass Road: "Once you see that military flag, you better leave quickly. The strong scent of human blood on you will bring you deadly trouble."

"Hmph, resorting to trickery, trying to scare me with just a military flag?"

The bloated demon scoffed: "Forget the flag; I've even devoured an entire army before. Old thing, if you weren't such a dry stick, I'd have used you to whet my appetite!"

Having said that, it couldn't be bothered to listen any further and charged directly onto Dragon Pass Road.

"Grandfather, it's not heeding your warning."

A small branch next to the old tree demon swayed as it spoke.

The old tree demon sighed and said nothing.

At that moment, the bloated demon had already rushed onto Dragon Pass Road, speeding towards a few figures in the distance.

Its eyes were filled with bloodthirsty killing intent, and the wind brought forth by its body caused the battle flag on the high rock to flutter upward.

But as it dashed closer in haste, a mystical wind suddenly swept through.

In the hot summer, the cool breeze was refreshing as it swept past the bloated demon.

"This..."

The demon's pupils sharply constricted, trying to evade, but it was already too late.

Its body suddenly split open, entrails scattered everywhere, blood flowing.

The mystical wind seemed to come from Cangya City at the end of Dragon Pass Road.

It was as if the Sword Qi the young man had casually released a year ago, which had killed that demon back then, was now circling above this official road, and a year later, it had blown back to where it once began...