Chapter 400: Cooking a True Immortal
Boom!
As the yuan shen was severed, Li Hao immediately pressed his advantage and completely shredded the ancient demon's yuan shen.
During this process, other three-tier ancient demons attempted to provide assistance, but their fleshly bodies were destroyed by Li Hao's control of the broken blade, forcing them to halt.
Once the yuan shen was obliterated, the second-tier ancient demon's body began to decay, its life force extinguished as it collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.
With this second-tier ancient demon no longer restraining him, Li Hao quickly turned his attention to the remaining three-tier ancient demons.
Seeing that Li Hao had managed to slay their leader, the other three-tier ancient demons were horrified. They fled in terror, never having encountered such a ruthless human before. Despite clearly only being at the Saint level, Li Hao had killed their leader—a feat that, even during the grand wars of the past, was extraordinary!
But their speed in retreating could not match Li Hao's artifact manipulation. The broken blade slashed rapidly, accompanied by his yuan shen attacking in unison.
Li Hao controlled both the blade and yuan shen, pursuing the fleeing three-tier ancient demons with an overpowering aura.
In no time, the ten three-tier ancient demons led by the second-tier ancient demon were all slain by Li Hao.
Li Hao glanced toward the battlefield where the middle-aged general was fighting. The latter was locked in combat with the ancient demon called Zheng, and although other ancient demons had joined the fray to assist Zheng, the general appeared to be handling the situation with ease, seemingly in no immediate danger.
Li Hao refrained from rushing to assist. The earlier triggering of his critical hit attribute had been a fortunate accident, and there were still three second-tier ancient demons present. If two of them were to engage him simultaneously, relying on the critical hit attribute, an unpredictable power, would not suffice.
Directing the broken blade toward the second-tier ancient demon's corpse, Li Hao began to dissect its fleshly body. Though the body was lifeless, it lay still, allowing Li Hao to carefully analyze its structure.
Before long, feeling he had grasped seventy to eighty percent of its secrets, Li Hao swiftly moved to reinforce the middle-aged general.
By this time, many ancient demons had gathered at the battlefield, forming a demonic array. Waves of crimson light emanated from the black mist they conjured, carrying a malevolent aura so oppressive that Li Hao felt a restless unease deep within his soul.
He sent the broken blade streaking forward.
Whoosh!
An arc of light sliced through the outer edges of the battlefield, instantly killing three ancient demons by severing their bodies. As their yuan shen detached, Li Hao's yuan shen, like a radiant sword light, followed up with swift strikes.
In mere moments, three ancient demons were eliminated.
The three second-tier ancient demons besieging the middle-aged general noticed this development, their expressions shifting to shock. It was only now that they realized their comrade, who had gone to handle Li Hao earlier, had already perished!
Impossible!
The three second-tier ancient demons were aghast. Li Hao's aura was clearly only at the Saint level—a mere fledgling immortal with traces of celestial power. But their ancient demon race was born superior; in the same realm, even True Immortals had to bow before them, let alone an overachieving weakling.
Amid their roars of fury, the three second-tier ancient demons exchanged glances. Their leader required their support to handle the middle-aged general, who was simply too formidable. They couldn't all abandon the battlefield.
After a quick consultation, one of the second-tier ancient demons broke away from the group, leading thirty three-tier ancient demons toward Li Hao.
The thirty demons, their domains overlapping, emanated a terrifying aura of destruction.
Li Hao's expression grew serious as he unleashed the broken blade.
The blade had barely entered the demons' domains when Li Hao felt immense resistance. However, it was less overwhelming than he had anticipated—likely because the sheer sharpness of the broken blade offset much of the opposition.
Whoosh!
The blade traced an arc, targeting one of the demons.
Within their combined domain, the blade slowed slightly. The targeted demon sensed the danger and dodged swiftly, but its body was still slashed open, though not fatally.
"Not fast enough."
Li Hao took a deep breath, golden veins in his yuan shen radiating power, increasing the blade's speed.
Boom!
The blade pierced through their domain, shredding a demon's body into pieces with breathtaking speed.
Following this, Li Hao's yuan shen unleashed a sword strike from afar.
The yuan shen itself did not enter the demons' domain, as the combined forces of over thirty demons would have gravely injured it. Instead, the distant sword energy struck its target's yuan shen, slicing it in half.
However, the severed yuan shen quickly began to regenerate. Before Li Hao could deliver a second strike, he noticed the lead second-tier ancient demon charging toward him. Without hesitation, he turned and fled.
The second-tier ancient demon's movement technique was incredibly fast, closing the distance in a flash. In terms of speed, Li Hao's body technique had lagged behind his other arts. Despite having sufficient skill points to upgrade, it remained stuck at the sixth level. His cultivation time had simply been too short, leaving many aspects underdeveloped.
Boom!
Li Hao retaliated with a full-powered sword strike, bolstered by his Stellar Veins. The sword's aura resembled an immortal pointing the way, briefly halting the ancient demon in its tracks. But the demon soon realized the attack lacked lethal force and resumed its pursuit.
Li Hao used the brief reprieve to race toward the bronze war chariot.
The strategy he and the middle-aged general had devised focused on gradually weakening the ancient demons' forces. Defeating them outright in one go was unrealistic.
As Li Hao neared the bronze war chariot, the pursuing ancient demon closed in, forcing him to unleash a series of peak strikes to slow its advance.
"Roar!"
The second-tier ancient demon bellowed furiously. Upon sighting the bronze war chariot, it grew visibly anxious, aware of the formidable celestial array guarding the vehicle. Breaching the array would take considerable time. If the human managed to retreat into the chariot, killing him would become nearly impossible. It also couldn't remain here indefinitely, as its leader still needed support against the middle-aged general.
Whoosh!
The demon accelerated, closing the gap, but Li Hao suddenly halted in front of the bronze war chariot. Turning to face the approaching demon, he smirked coldly.
"You're out of position!"
Clang!
The broken blade surged forth, its arc resembling moonlight. With a wet slicing sound, the demon's body split apart, though it wasn't instantly killed.
Li Hao's eyes gleamed. His earlier analysis had missed a vital detail.
Unperturbed, he continued his assault. As the thirty ancient demons approached with their combined domain, he unleashed a second slash.
Splat!
The second-tier ancient demon, on the verge of attacking, froze in shock, its fierce eyes revealing panic.
Two swift slashes had rendered its body lifeless!
If not for its yuan shen or the lack of soul-piercing power in the blade, the second slash would have ended it outright.
Realizing its precarious situation, the demon's yuan shen fled its collapsing body.
Li Hao's yuan shen, which had been poised for action, shot forward without hesitation, engaging in a ferocious assault on the fleeing spirit.
Seeing the yuan shen closing in, the demon roared, its crimson glow intensifying as it activated its innate ability to devour souls.
Boom!
As Li Hao's yuan shen transformed into a sword light, golden veins ignited, its momentum surged explosively.
Boom!
With one strike, the second-tier ancient demon's yuan shen was torn apart.
In the blink of an eye, his yuan shen slashed out hundreds of sword lights, annihilating the demon's yuan shen entirely!
With its yuan shen extinguished, the demon's body lost all power and plummeted from mid-air, crashing lifelessly to the ground.
All this happened in mere moments. The thirty three-tier ancient demons rushing forward froze in shock, staring at Li Hao in terror.
Li Hao exhaled deeply. Eliminating this second-tier ancient demon made everything easier.
He turned his gaze toward the thirty ancient demons, showing no signs of fatigue. Without pause, he drove the broken blade into their domain, while gripping Gong Ming to unleash full-strength slashes.
Behind him, the image of the heavens and earth manifested, surrounded by stars, channeling an inexhaustible torrent of power. With every strike, terrifying sword lights slashed outward, smashing into the ancient demons' domain.
These sword lights, like massive hammers, continuously destabilized their domain.
The thirty ancient demons were both shocked and unsettled. Li Hao's overwhelming strength, paired with his seemingly endless energy, was monstrous.
Using the ripples caused by the sword lights, Li Hao found an opening and struck down one ancient demon's fleshly body, his yuan shen swiftly following up to obliterate its yuan shen.
Splat!
As one ancient demon fell, the combined domain weakened slightly.
Meanwhile, Li Hao remained at peak strength, his Zhutian Xingchen Mai ensuring his energy flowed like an abyss—limitless and unyielding.
Boom! Boom!
Under Li Hao's relentless assault, more ancient demons fell.
The second, the third… their numbers dwindled rapidly!
Standing before the bronze war chariot, Li Hao's silver hair danced wildly. With a three-foot sword in hand, he stood alone against thirty ancient demons, shaking half the sky.
As their numbers decreased, the domain's power diminished, allowing Li Hao's killing pace to accelerate.
The remaining ancient demons howled in fear and anger, enveloping Li Hao in their domain.
However, Li Hao retreated to the bronze war chariot, leveraging its protective arrays to continue his battle.
After all, these ancient demons combined were the equivalent of thirty Supreme Saints attacking together. Even his Eternal Dao Domain couldn't withstand their stacked domain for long.
With the broken blade harvesting lives, the ancient demons' numbers dwindled swiftly, soon reducing to twenty.
In no time, only fifteen remained.
Li Hao's killing speed increased as the remaining ancient demons grew terrified. The bronze war chariot's arrays were too robust for them to breach, barely serving to deplete its energy reserves. But their lives could not sustain the prolonged battle.
When only ten demons were left, they collectively chose to flee.
Seeing this, Li Hao leaped from the war chariot and drove the broken blade to pursue them.
The fleeing ancient demons, furious and humiliated, roared inwardly. Despite their superior numbers, they were being chased down by a single Saint. In the grand war, their combined forces would have been a significant unit capable of giving True Immortals headaches.
Li Hao chased them relentlessly, activating his Feiduan attribute to double his attack range. The demons failed to realize that escape was futile. Against Li Hao, fleeing only shortened their lives—standing their ground might have bought them more time.
Before long, one by one, the ancient demons fell. Li Hao pursued them back toward their original battlefield, finishing off the last demon. The thirty ancient demons sent to hunt him, including the second-tier leader, were all dead.
Li Hao turned his attention to the middle-aged general's battlefield, where dark clouds loomed. Hundreds of ancient demons surrounded the area, with two second-tier ancient demons commanding them. The thick black mist obscured both the general and the ancient demon leader.
Li Hao's expression turned grim as he continued controlling the broken blade, ambushing the outermost demons.
As several ancient demons were swiftly killed, the two second-tier demons noticed the commotion and stared at Li Hao in shock.
He's still alive?!
They soon realized that their comrade's aura had vanished, replaced by a pile of corpses.
The sight filled them with dread. How could this be? Was this human secretly a True Immortal disguised as a Saint?
The two second-tier demons felt a chilling fear creep into their hearts. They immediately sent word to their leader.
"What? Not retaliating against me?"
Li Hao, mid-ambush, noticed the surrounding demons glaring angrily at him but refraining from attacking, as if afraid to leave their formation.
Seizing the opportunity, Li Hao attacked with even greater ferocity.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar erupted from the black mist, shaking the air. Li Hao felt the sound like an explosion in his mind, leaving his soul buzzing in pain. His face turned pale—this first-tier ancient demon was too powerful. Its roar alone caused disorientation and nausea, sending ripples across his yuan shen. A closer encounter would have been devastating.
"Run! There are two leaders!"
Suddenly, the middle-aged general's urgent voice echoed in Li Hao's mind.
Startled, Li Hao's pupils contracted. He quickly tried to respond, but the black mist obscured the general's location, preventing him from pinpointing his position.
Two? How could there be two?
An accident?
Li Hao's expression darkened as he glanced at the churning black mist before turning and bolting toward the bronze war chariot.
While fleeing, he manipulated the scattered corpses of the ancient demons, collecting them into his storage space.
Reaching the chariot, he turned back to see the black mist continuing to expand.
Li Hao's hesitation grew. He didn't want to burden the general, but it was clear the latter had not yet escaped.
Grinding his teeth, Li Hao made a decision. Climbing onto the bronze war chariot, he drove it straight back into the heart of the ancient demon territory.
The war chariot rumbled forward, crushing debris under its wheels as it raced toward the battlefield.
There, within the mist, faint flashes of sword light appeared intermittently—the general's attacks. He seemed to be trying to break through, but the black mist encased him completely.
Hundreds of ancient demons hovered in mid-air, radiating crimson light and black mist, their combined formation creating an oppressive force.
"Die!"
Li Hao's eyes burned with rage. The broken blade surged forward with unprecedented speed.
His yuan shen followed, golden veins flaring like fire, enveloping the yuan shen in blazing light. Its aura became even more terrifying.
Kill!
The broken blade's speed skyrocketed. Li Hao felt a faint understanding of some profound manipulation technique. In the blink of an eye, the blade pierced through and killed ten ancient demons.
Simultaneously, his yuan shen, now a flaming sword of divine wrath, struck out.
In a single breath, ten more ancient demons fell, their black mist dissipating along with them.
Li Hao didn't stop. His eyes, like inky stars, directed the broken blade toward the second group of ancient demons.
Splat, splat, splat!
One by one, the bodies of the ancient demons exploded, falling from the sky.
Their yuan shen barely had time to react before being obliterated by a sword light enveloped in golden flames.
Li Hao attacked relentlessly. As one golden vein in his yuan shen burned out, another ignited.
In just a few breaths, over a hundred ancient demon corpses had plummeted from the sky.
Li Hao's gaze shifted to the two second-tier ancient demons. Both noticed his actions, their eyes filled with dread.
The broken blade struck. The two demons observed the state of the black mist, realizing they were at a critical juncture. However, preserving their own lives took precedence.
As the blade approached, the black mist surrounding them dissipated. Forced to defend themselves, they raised their domains, but the blade's unparalleled sharpness tore through, piercing their fleshly bodies.
Li Hao's yuan shen immediately followed, imbued with elegant sword intent, like an autumn breeze slicing through one second-tier ancient demon's yuan shen.
The remaining demon felt as though it had seen a ghost. Desperately merging its yuan shen back into its body to revive itself, it fled headlong into the black mist. Better to die fighting alongside the two leaders than at Li Hao's hands—perhaps under their protection, survival was still possible.
Seeing the demon retreat into the black mist, Li Hao chose not to pursue. Instead, he redirected the broken blade to continue harvesting the lives of other third-tier ancient demons.
Some of these demons stubbornly maintained their formation, while others fled in panic.
Through continuous slaughter, Li Hao had grown exceedingly familiar with the anatomy of the third-tier ancient demons. Every strike was fatal—he gave their yuan shen no chance to react.
Despite being of the same level, Li Hao felt as though he were harvesting wheat. This dominance was largely thanks to the sharpness of the broken blade and the enhancements to his yuan shen, allowing him to utterly crush the ancient demons.
Soon, the number of demons in the air dwindled to a mere hundred.
For Li Hao, it was only a matter of moments.
As he continued his slaughter, the black mist visibly weakened, and the flashes of sword light within became increasingly distinct.
"Die!"
Suddenly, the middle-aged general's furious roar echoed.
Moments later, the black mist surged violently, and a massive figure tumbled out—it was the first-tier ancient demon they had been targeting.
The middle-aged general emerged from the black mist, relentlessly pursuing the demon.
Trailing behind him, another equally massive demon roared as it gave chase, trying to intercept him.
"Damn it!"
The demon known as Zhen bellowed in fury. Scanning the sky, it saw that only a hundred of its underlings remained. All its lieutenants had perished.
Having received reports from its subordinates earlier, it suspected the young immortal might be a True Immortal in disguise. Now, observing the dwindling numbers of its forces, it also knew that the demon Mang was likely watching and waiting for a chance to strike. Even if it managed to kill the True Immortal, the cost would be devastating, leaving it vulnerable to Mang's opportunistic attack.
Reluctantly, Zhen sent out a signal, inviting Mang to join forces in exchange for agreeing to Mang's previous demand for a share of the spoils.
But the True Immortal turned out to be even more fearsome than expected. For years, their battles had been a game of attrition, yet the True Immortal had clearly been holding back all along.
Despite their two-to-one advantage, they had failed to subdue him quickly and had suffered serious injuries in the process.
Whoosh!
The middle-aged general dove down, slashing at Zhen with his sword. The blade tore a deep gash in the demon's flesh, exposing bone.
The wound refused to heal. Zhen roared in pain and rage, abruptly changing course to charge at Li Hao, hoping to use him as a distraction.
Seeing the demon leader barreling toward him, Li Hao's face changed. He quickly dove into the bronze war chariot.
"Stay inside the chariot! Don't come out! Today, I'm killing both of them!"
The middle-aged general's voice rang out, brimming with icy killing intent.
Originally, the plan had been to slowly weaken Zhen's forces before killing him. But Li Hao's performance far exceeded expectations.
Without any assistance, he had single-handedly slain two to three hundred ancient demons, including several second-tier ones.
Now, Zhen's forces had been reduced to only a hundred third-tier demons. All the second-tier demons were dead. This was far beyond the anticipated attrition.
However, Mang's unexpected presence complicated matters.
For this reason, the middle-aged general resolved to kill both leaders here and now. Failing to do so would alert the ancient demons to the situation, endangering their future plans.
"Be careful!"
Li Hao transmitted back.
Zhen slammed its massive claws onto the bronze war chariot, causing it to tremble violently. The protective formations flashed brightly but held firm.
This war chariot, once the mount of a Celestial King, had endured countless eons. Even in its current weakened state, it could withstand a True Immortal's attacks.
However, Li Hao could feel that the chariot's defensive formations were severely degraded, likely only a fraction of their original strength. After withstanding a few dozen more strikes, they would likely fail.
The middle-aged general, aware of this, rushed forward. His sword slashed out, the strike seeming to sever the fabric of space and time. Zhen tried to evade but was struck again, its body gaining another ghastly wound.
"Mang! Are you just going to watch me die?!"
Zhen roared in frustration.
"He's too strong. He's not just any True Immortal."
Mang's expression was grim. Although it had been holding back slightly, it was clear this middle-aged general was far beyond the strength of any lone leader. For years, Zhen had fought him without realizing his true strength, foolishly thinking he could claim victory alone.
Now, with Mang advancing, the two demons once again joined forces to battle the general.
Meanwhile, Li Hao steered the bronze war chariot farther away, avoiding the crossfire.
Seeing the two leaders focused on the general, Li Hao turned his attention to the remaining third-tier demons. He directed the broken blade to resume its killing spree.
With the blade and his yuan shen working in tandem, ancient demons fell one after another.
Sheltered within the bronze war chariot, Li Hao was relatively safe.
"Damn it!"
Zhen could feel the diminishing presence of its subordinates. Its eyes burned red with rage. Even if it managed to kill these two humans, the cost would be catastrophic.
But it couldn't afford to be distracted. The general ignored Mang and focused all his attacks on Zhen, leaving it struggling to keep up.
Whoosh!
Li Hao controlled the broken blade to slice through another fleeing ancient demon. It failed to outrun the speed of the blade and was struck down. Its physical body was destroyed, and its yuan shen was promptly eliminated in tandem.
In just a few moments, over a hundred ancient demons had been reduced to a scattering few, all fleeing in terror.
"Feiduan!"
Li Hao extended the range of his artifact manipulation by doubling its reach, propelling the broken blade forward to hunt down and slay two more fleeing ancient demons.
In the blink of an eye, the land once strewn with pristine human remains was now piled high with the corpses of ancient demons.
In the void, only the middle-aged general and the two demon leaders remained locked in combat.
Li Hao drove the bronze war chariot closer, keeping a vigilant eye on the battle. Zhen's body was riddled with wounds, its aura weak and faltering. Without the other demon leader's aid, it likely would have already been slain by the middle-aged general.
As things stood, the two of them together had managed to overtake Zhen's entire territory in one fell swoop! This was far quicker than their initial plans, though the cost had been significant—Li Hao's yuan shen had burned through several of its golden veins, leaving only one intact.
However, with the sheer volume of demon corpses now at hand, Li Hao felt confident he could recover quickly, perhaps even gaining further improvements.
Whoosh!
Spotting Zhen's moment of vulnerability, Li Hao abruptly launched the broken blade. The blade's sharp edge tore through the air, sending a chill down Zhen's spine. Its eyes flashed with fury as it turned to glance at the blade.
It was too late to block. The broken blade slashed across its wounded flesh, widening the already gaping tear. However, the blade failed to fully pierce its body; the demon's flesh swiftly began regenerating.
"So resilient," Li Hao muttered, his expression shifting. For the first time, the broken blade encountered resistance, failing to slice clean through. Striking its bone felt like colliding with divine iron—reverberations surged back through the blade.
Squelch!
The middle-aged general suddenly appeared before Zhen, moving with explosive speed. His sword cleaved downward, severing Zhen's head from its body.
At the same time, a vertical eye opened on the general's forehead, unleashing divine fire to envelop Zhen's flesh, rendering its body incapable of regenerating.
Hovering above his head, the general's yuan shen materialized, wielding a sword of its own. The ethereal blade struck out with incredible speed.
"Help me!"
Zhen roared in terror.
Mang's expression turned grim as it unleashed its full strength in a bid to intervene, but it was too late.
Zhen's yuan shen was obliterated, its immortal mark pierced and shattered. It perished on the spot.
The middle-aged general wasted no time. His sharp gaze locked onto Mang as he turned to charge toward it with lethal intent.
Mang, overcome with frustration, chose flight. Grinding its teeth, it spat venomously, "Just wait! This time, you won't leave here alive!"
It unfurled its wings and sped into the distance, vanishing from Li Hao's sight in mere moments.
The middle-aged general's figure disappeared as well, chasing after it.
Li Hao stood atop the bronze war chariot, his gaze fixed on the horizon. Within a single breath, their auras had faded from Zhen's territory.
Concern flashed in Li Hao's eyes. He worried whether the middle-aged general could intercept and kill Mang. If that demon spread word of their activities, it would surely invite a storm of danger.
Returning his attention to the battlefield, Li Hao noted the multitude of demon corpses scattered about. Swiftly, he collected all of them, storing them in his celestial space.
His gaze then landed on Zhen's ravaged body, noting that the divine flames enveloping it had dissipated. The corpse was severely damaged.
Li Hao retrieved Zhen's remains as well. A fleshly body of True Immortal level—cooking it might yield an unparalleled delicacy.
Moreover, the act of cooking would provide insight into its anatomical structure. Armed with such knowledge, he might one day find a way to strike down such demons with a single blow.
After clearing the battlefield, Li Hao sat atop the bronze war chariot, awaiting the middle-aged general's return.
His brows furrowed with concern as he stared into the distance, deep in thought.
Time passed.
Just as Li Hao debated whether to pursue with the chariot, a dark silhouette appeared on the horizon, hurtling toward him at breakneck speed.
The shadow rapidly grew larger. As Li Hao focused, he recognized the figure—it was the middle-aged general.
The general returned, flying through the void while carrying a massive body: the remains of Mang.
Li Hao froze for a moment, then felt a surge of joy. The general had truly slain Mang.
To kill two first-tier ancient demons back-to-back—this level of strength was nothing short of astonishing.
Whoosh!
The middle-aged general traversed the void in an instant, landing before the bronze war chariot. He tossed Mang's lifeless body onto the ground, his expression weary but tinged with excitement and satisfaction.
"Thankfully, I caught up before it could retreat to its territory. I managed to kill it just in time!"
"So, you didn't alert the other demons?"
Li Hao asked, his tone filled with relief.
The middle-aged general nodded. "It seems that way."
He cast a glance at Li Hao, smiling faintly. "Thanks to the ancient demon meat you prepared over the past few days, my yuan shen grew stronger, and my strength recovered significantly. Otherwise, this unexpected battle could have claimed us both."
"Next time, we should scout more thoroughly to avoid such surprises," Li Hao said earnestly.
The middle-aged general nodded slightly. "This demon leader likely came for a visit by chance. Whatever its purpose, this oversight on our part nearly cost us. Next time, I'll scout ahead. If all seems clear, we can proceed… But for now, with all these demon corpses, we can feast and recover. It'll make our next battle easier."
Li Hao glanced at the demon leader's corpse, his mouth watering slightly.
"That sounds good."
The two began tidying up. Rather than returning to the gorge's entrance, they decided to set up camp within Zhen's territory.
If any other demons came to investigate, they could eliminate them immediately. Allowing them to sound an alarm would alert the rest of the ancient demons to Zhen's death.
"The death of this demon will likely be noticed soon by its subordinates," Li Hao said.
The middle-aged general nodded slightly. "It could take a few days or even years. We should rest quickly. For now, Mang's territory is populated only by second- and third-tier demons. Even if they hear the news and come to investigate, we can simply kill them."
"Understood."
Li Hao nodded. He was now capable of single-handedly defeating second-tier ancient demons. With the middle-aged general's assistance, it would be akin to cutting down saplings.
"You rest first; I'll cook," Li Hao offered. Thanks to his celestial star veins, his physical strength remained abundant despite his mental exhaustion.
The middle-aged general licked his lips at Li Hao's words, nodded with a smile, and sat to the side.
Li Hao didn't start by cooking the demon leader's body but instead took out a second-tier ancient demon as an appetizer.
The demon leader's flesh was too tough and would take more time to process.
While Li Hao focused on cooking, the middle-aged general explored Zhen's cave abode and quickly retrieved a few items.
"Lucky find—there's actually a damaged celestial weapon here. Feels like it might even be better than your broken blade. Take a look," he said, tossing a broken sword to Li Hao. It was half a blade with no hilt.
Only then did Li Hao think about the loot from their battle. His attention had been solely on the demon bodies, and he'd almost forgotten the rest.
"No intact celestial weapons?" Li Hao asked.
The question wasn't a suspicion that the middle-aged general was hiding anything but simply a curiosity. After all, the war seemed to have been won by the ancient demons. It was strange that they hadn't collected the celestial weapons scattered across the battlefield.
The middle-aged general shook his head slightly, his expression heavy.
"Did you notice these demons don't carry celestial weapons? When the ancient demons first appeared and the great battle was being prepared, the True Realm's celestial emperors issued an order to modify all celestial weapons. They spent millennia adjusting them to ensure the demons couldn't use them as weapons."
"After the adjustments, the ancient demons couldn't wield them at all. So whenever they killed us and took our weapons or celestial treasures, they'd destroy them to ensure we couldn't recover them either."
Li Hao now realized why these demons were always bare-handed, relying solely on brute force in combat without any celestial weapons.
"The destroyed celestial weapons filled this cave. Only this one remains. Though damaged, the blade itself is intact and hasn't corroded. We're fortunate to have found it," the middle-aged general explained.
Li Hao sighed inwardly. If the weapons hadn't been destroyed, this harvest would have been even more bountiful.
Still, the broken sword before him was better than the broken blade he currently wielded. Li Hao asked, "Can I use it?"
"If it were an intact celestial weapon, it might have been beyond you. But as it is now, you can use it just like your broken blade. All you need is its sharpness," the middle-aged general replied.
Relieved, Li Hao took the broken sword and tested it by slicing through Zhen's corpse.
The blade cut into the flesh much more smoothly than the broken blade, though it still struggled slightly against the bones, unable to cleave them entirely.
Still, for killing second-tier ancient demons, the speed would likely increase significantly!
Li Hao immediately swapped the broken blade for the broken sword. In emergencies, he could even wield both simultaneously—dual-wielding was no challenge for him.
Against third-tier ancient demons, he'd be even more at ease, likely doubling his kill rate!
Satisfied after testing the sword, Li Hao turned his attention back to cooking.
Before long, half of the second-tier demon's body had been transformed into a delectable dish.
The rich aroma wafting through the air left the middle-aged general visibly enchanted. He grinned brightly.
"At this rate, once we finish all these demons, I might not only return to my peak but even surpass it!"
Li Hao was equally eager to see how much his yuan shen would improve once they consumed everything.
As they ate, the second-tier demon's flesh filled their bellies, and another golden vein appeared on Li Hao's yuan shen.
Time flew by.
Over the following days, Li Hao and the middle-aged general remained in Zhen's territory, cooking and consuming the demon corpses.
Half a month passed. During this time, a visiting ancient demon came to inquire about its leader. The middle-aged general detected it immediately and killed it on the spot.
It was a second-tier ancient demon, sent to ask about its leader's whereabouts.
"If they don't return soon, the other demons will realize something's wrong. It's time for us to act," the middle-aged general said, tossing the demon's body to Li Hao without a second thought.
Li Hao nodded.
In those two weeks, they had grown increasingly accustomed to eating three meals daily, with their appetites expanding. They consumed two ancient demons daily, and their yuan shen strength had improved significantly.
Li Hao's yuan shen now bore eleven golden veins, doubling its previous power.
"Before we set out, let's finally taste the demon leader's flesh," Li Hao suggested.
Over the fortnight, they had only eaten second- and third-tier demons. The first-tier ancient demons' bodies had been set aside for study and training, helping Li Hao understand their anatomy. He had yet to cook them.
Moreover, he felt a certain reverence toward such high-level ingredients. He wanted to wait until he was in peak condition and fully prepared to handle them properly.
"Are you confident?" the middle-aged general asked, his eyes lighting up. He had been eager to taste the demon leaders' flesh for days.
Li Hao smiled faintly, retrieving Zhen's corpse along with the broken sword. His demeanor grew serious. After days of analyzing the anatomy, he was thoroughly familiar with every part.
As chaotic divine flames gathered in his hands, Li Hao began processing the demon's body, separating the different parts for cooking.
Cooking wasn't just about making the meat edible—Li Hao also needed to dismantle the dao embedded within the flesh, making it suitable for digestion.
Aside from its dao power, the demon's body also contained celestial energy.
To manage this, Li Hao entered his "ultimate immortal transformation" state, carefully disassembling and cooking the flesh.
As he focused entirely on the process, Li Hao didn't realize his ultimate immortal transformation's duration was extending. Or rather, the cooking itself seemed to be lengthening the time he could maintain the state.
Eventually, a subtle, otherworldly fragrance began to permeate the air. The middle-aged general froze, his body seemingly overwhelmed. Every pore felt as if it had opened, and his very soul seemed ready to transcend its mortal shell.
"Please, enjoy," Li Hao said, snapping back to awareness. Though he felt a profound weariness, his spirit was inexplicably invigorated.
He smiled at the middle-aged general and gestured for him to begin.
Taking his own portion, Li Hao dug in.
The indescribable taste exploded on his palate. Beyond the flavor, Li Hao felt a vast and ethereal power flowing into his body—celestial energy!
This energy lingered within him, coursing through his divine blood and dao bones.
Though Li Hao wasn't an immortal, the energy didn't dissipate. Instead, it quietly nourished his divine blood and dao bones, subtly transforming them toward immortality.
Li Hao mused that if he consumed enough, he might truly ascend to become an immortal.
The idea was absurd yet strangely plausible.
"It's incredible! Simply incredible!" the middle-aged general exclaimed between bites, unable to contain his joy.
After spending so much time with Li Hao, his previously rigid and solemn demeanor had softened considerably, revealing a more carefree side.
Li Hao chuckled, gazing at the dish before him. A True Immortal-level existence, now turned into a culinary masterpiece.
If the people in the Sacred Land of All Saints knew about this, their jaws would drop.
The celestial beings they yearned to pursue had become a sumptuous delicacy right before Li Hao's eyes.
As he consumed more and more, the celestial energy absorbed into his body increased significantly. Beyond that, his yuan shen improved greatly. The soul energy within the demon flesh ignited an intense heat in his yuan shen, and golden threads surfaced one after another.
Li Hao and the middle-aged general each consumed half of the dish, and just from half of the leader's body, Li Hao's yuan shen gained five additional golden threads.
The middle-aged general also experienced significant improvement. Li Hao could sense that his aura had grown even more powerful and terrifying.
Li Hao felt genuinely happy for him— the stronger the middle-aged general became, the greater their chances of breaking out of the ancient road.
Once they had eaten and rested, the following day, Li Hao and the middle-aged general ventured into Man Mo's territory.
Learning from their previous experience, the middle-aged general first infiltrated the area to confirm there were no other demon leaders. Only then did he join Li Hao in a massacre.
Naturally, Li Hao was eager to participate, his hands itching to fight alongside the general.
While in his immortal transformation state, Li Hao discovered that the celestial energy stored within his body could be faintly mobilized.
However, when he harnessed it, it transformed into more condensed and potent worldly power rather than celestial energy.
Even so, in his immortal transformation state, Li Hao's unleashed power was strong enough to suppress second-tier ancient demons directly!
With the two working in tandem, Man Mo's domain was thoroughly purged, leaving a field of ancient demon corpses behind.
"This time, we can rest properly. These demons don't visit each other often; it could be centuries before they notice something is wrong. After all, one closed-door cultivation session might last hundreds of years," the middle-aged general remarked with a bright smile after the battle.
Li Hao smiled as well. He understood what this meant.
They would have ample time to recuperate and strengthen themselves.
The two settled in Man Mo's territory, continuing their daily cycle of eating and resting.
Li Hao's tenth-tier culinary skill soon reached its bottleneck.
To progress further, he needed to comprehend the dao of cooking.
The dao of cooking was elusive, and Li Hao had no clear direction. He understood that such matters couldn't be rushed; perhaps during an ordinary cooking session, he might suddenly gain insight and experience an epiphany.
Beyond cooking, Li Hao dabbled in painting in his spare time, but even his painting skills maxed out in experience.
Compared to these two, Li Hao now sought to improve his fishing and chess skills. If he could elevate them to the tenth tier, his overall strength would leap significantly.
His swordsmanship and footwork had already reached the level of sacrificial dao.
However, finding an opponent for chess here was impossible. The middle-aged general wasn't proficient in chess, so Li Hao turned to sculpture as something he could practice alone. In his leisure time, he carved figures of ancient demons and old friends from his past.
The middle-aged general no longer entered his reserved state to conserve strength. Beyond eating and drinking, he spent each day teaching Li Hao his celestial dao techniques.
These included swordsmanship, footwork, and celestial military combat techniques.
Li Hao didn't refuse and recorded all of it in his system.
Besides "Immortal's Guidance," the middle-aged general also taught Li Hao a celestial dao sword technique from a grand celestial sect called "Jue Ya Wu Dao Sword."
The technique had three stages, but during his time in the war, the middle-aged general had only mastered the first stage: Wan Jian Ya.
This sword technique was immensely powerful and covered a vast area. However, through countless life-and-death battles, the middle-aged general refined and simplified it. From the original Wan Jian Ya, which unleashed thousands of swords at once, it became the solitary "Gu Jian Ya."
Now, instead of summoning thousands of swords with a single swing, it was distilled into one sword, one strike to obliterate.
Li Hao found this solitary sword technique to be extraordinary. Though it lacked follow-up stages, the refinement of its single move was on par with the initial strikes of the finest celestial dao sword techniques.
Compared to "Immortal's Guidance," it was sharper and even more devastating!
After all, it had been honed through countless ages of blood and fire, reaching a level that almost touched the origin of chaos.
The footwork techniques passed down were equally remarkable, but Li Hao's comprehension of footwork was stuck at the sixth tier. Though he quickly became proficient, he couldn't claim mastery.
The middle-aged general also noticed that while Li Hao had an exceptional talent for swordsmanship— grasping the essence of the solitary sword technique after a single demonstration— his aptitude for footwork was lacking, and his movements were clumsy.
This observation made the general find the youth more relatable.
Despite possessing a soul age of less than sixty years, Li Hao's terrifying abilities matched those of the most dazzling prodigies the general had ever encountered. Yet this imperfection revealed that even Li Hao had flaws.
The celestial military combat techniques taught Li Hao strong close-combat skills, perfectly complementing his physical strength. Although he hadn't fully mastered them, his combat ability improved significantly.
As time passed, the ancient demons they had previously hunted were consumed one by one.
Both Li Hao's and the middle-aged general's yuan shen grew stronger at an astonishing rate.
The general's eyes gleamed brighter and brighter as if his hope of breaking through the ancient road became more tangible with each passing day. He even speculated that if they could kill and consume all the demons on the road, he might break through his bottleneck and become a True Lord.
Time flew by.
A year passed.
The ancient demon corpses from their earlier hunt were nearly depleted.
Over the year, Man Mo's territory remained quiet, with no other demons discovering their presence.
When the last demon was consumed, Li Hao turned to the middle-aged general. It was clear— it was time to hunt again.
"With your current strength, no one in the pseudo-realm could possibly challenge you, could they?" the general remarked to Li Hao.
Li Hao nodded slightly. Having consumed seven or eight hundred demons, his yuan shen now contained over 300 golden threads. Its sheer power was terrifying. If he encountered Yuan Zu and Shen Wang again, even if they combined their powers at a divine level, Li Hao could suppress them using his yuan shen alone.
It was a suppression on the level of the soul— no amount of manpower could overcome it.
The middle-aged general gave Li Hao a deep, thoughtful look but said nothing further, silently acknowledging the debt he owed.
Li Hao could already return, yet he chose to stay and continue fighting alongside him on the ancient road.
"Let's clear this road first, then I'll return," Li Hao said with a smile.
"Alright."
The middle-aged general nodded, his eyes filled with hope and curiosity about the state of the True Realm beyond the ancient road. He longed to see what had become of it after the war.
The two prepared briefly and then set off toward another ancient demon stronghold.
As before, the middle-aged general scouted ahead first.
After confirming the stronghold housed only a demon leader and a few hundred subordinates, he signaled to Li Hao. Together, they launched their assault.
One handled the leader while the other focused on eliminating the rest of the demons.
Li Hao wielded the broken sword with his yuan shen close behind. During his time cooking the ancient demons, he realized his object manipulation speed had become shockingly fast.
From his initial sneak attack to landing a strike, it took less than a breath for over a dozen third-tier demons gathered together to have their bodies destroyed by the broken sword.
His yuan shen followed immediately, sweeping out. The demons tried to unleash black mist in defense, but Li Hao's yuan shen charged straight through, crushing their souls with overwhelming force.