Chapter 289: Chapter 52: The Twin Li Haos, No Entry to Dragon Pass Road_2
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Number of marks: 180.
...
These 180 marks, represented by black or white pieces, were also the total number of marks Li Hao could make at once.
During Li Hao's experiments, he poured his power into a military flag, and during the infusion process, he was able to incorporate his swordsmanship as well.
He infused a sword technique and fifty percent of his power into the flag, which then became one of the marks.
When the flag was destroyed, the sealed Sword Qi and power would erupt, indiscriminately covering the surroundings.
This was somewhat like the array constructed by the elderly Star Bureau Official.
However, Li Hao's method was simpler, being a single-entity type and only suited for his use.
Under the attribute of laying low, the fifty percent power Li Hao consumed would take half a day to recover.
That is to say, he could only create two power-infused flags per day.
Li Hao was in no hurry, having nothing else to do, and would create a flag whenever he recovered some strength each day.
Now, his courtyard had accumulated 16 marked flags.
Once the rain stopped, Li Hao would have his shadow self take the marked flags beyond the pass, planting one on every mountaintop previously permeated with the aura of the Three Immortal Demons.
Claiming mountains as kings.
He wanted to make the places where his flags stood prohibited grounds for Demons!
In the courtyard, Ren Qianqian saw the shadow self, initially startled, but after learning it was Li Hao's Cultivation Technique, she regained her composure.
Such peculiar instances as a shadow self were not unique.
Li Hao had perused many ancient books in Listening Rain Tower and knew that some practitioners from the Three Immortal Realms could cultivate second selves—just that the quality of those selves varied.
Furthermore, some powers of the Four Stands Realm would specifically forge a mortal body, transferring their mortal mind into it while their true self condensed the Tao Heart to step into the Four Stands.
This was also a technique for breaking through to the Tao Heart Realm.
However, this technique was not advocated, as it was not perfect.
If the mortal mind shattered, the Tao Heart would be affected as well, like an inverted bowl with a notch.
For a family like the Li Family, or the Four Stands Realm powers Li Hao knew, they all transformed from mortal to Tao with just one true self without condensing a mortal body.
Among Demons, however, 'dividing the mind to combine with the Tao' was an encouraged practice for cultivation.
Like the triple-headed Serpent Demon Li Hao had encountered earlier, if it could fuse its three heads into one brain, it could then transform into the Tao Heart Realm.
The Ten Thousand Caverns Ghost Mother was even more exaggerated; gathering thousands of ghosts, it tore its mortal mind to pieces and then melded the hearts of myriad ghosts into one, ultimately forming a Tao Heart demon seed.
This process was extremely easy to lose oneself, turning into a lonely wandering ghost or mountain spirit. Success in this transformation also depended on destiny and strategic layout.
Every Demon King who had cultivated to the Four Stands Realm had gone through an exceptionally tumultuous journey.
And once they entered the Four Stands Realm and became kings, unless they sought their death, they rarely had concerns about their lives.
If they reached the Defying Fate Realm, it was even harder for them to die.
Despite Li Hao's capability to slay several Demon Kings, in the end, only the Tao Heart Realm Ten Thousand Caverns Ghost Mother remained, as the rest of the Demon Kings had all escaped.
...
Time flew by.
The spring rain became increasingly persistent, the occasional clear skies fleeting.
More and more flags were planted outside the pass, each flag seemingly a slap on the faces of the Demons there.
As the number of flags grew, eventually a Demon couldn't bear the humiliation any longer.
In the pouring rain, an Indestructible Realm Demon roared as it rushed to the mountaintop where flags had been recently planted. The site was its newly half-completed home, now leveled, and left only with a bare mountain and the flag bathed in the torrential downpour.
Seeing the two characters for Haotian on the flag, the Demon's eyes blazed with bloodlust, howling in fury.
"Lord Long Ze, don't!"
A bird from Tianji Palace hurriedly flew over, shouting.
But the Demon had already thrown caution to the wind; instead of living a life of constant fear and fleeing every so often beyond the pass, it preferred to find another place to settle down.
It had made up its mind to shred the accursed Human's flag and then leave without looking back.
After all, the world was wide and home was wherever it chose.
Boom!
As its sharp claws struck down, the flag was submerged, its pole shattered and banner torn.
Before the Demon could sneer triumphantly, suddenly, a surge of Sword Qi burst forth from the flag, as if a sword was cutting open the heavens and earth!
It swept and severed the torrential spring rain!
Then, the Sword Qi broke through the clouds, tearing apart the dense clouds and stopping the spring rain.
Afterward, it fiercely slashed downward!
Like an ethereal Immortal between heaven and earth casually releasing a streak of Sword Qi!
The Demon's pupils constricted in terrified shock, disbelieving at this attack from out of nowhere!
It roared with rage, releasing vast Demonic Qi, its scaled armor swelling in an attempt to block the Sword Qi.
But the next moment, the Sword Qi slashed straight down, a loud boom echoing as it split the Demon's body from head to tail, cleaving it in two!
Then, the Sword Qi dissolved, breaking into countless minute Sword Qi particles that rained down furiously.
If it were just its body being cleaved, this Demon might have escaped with its life, for a 'mere fatal injury' was not enough to kill a Three Immortal Realms Demon.
Even if its heart was shattered, as long as it could quickly leave the battlefield, take some medicine, or preserve its life essence, it could still survive.
Depending on the regeneration speed of its flesh, mending a broken heart was not so difficult.
But at this moment, with the onslaught of countless Sword Qi, one streak entered its body, and before the Demon could struggle, its Divine Soul abruptly perished!
The gigantic body fell heavily on the mountain slope, before the shattered flag.
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