One Man Riding to the Rescue

At the end of Dragon Gate Road lies Azure Cliff City.

Heaven's Gate Pass is located outside the city.

Azure Cliff City is built against a precipice. The city is vast, and the city walls are majestic, thick, and towering into the clouds.

Inside, there are magnificent city towers and arrow towers, as well as a bustling and prosperous urban area where residents come and go. It was also a trading hub between the border region of Great Yu and the Northern Cold Kingdom, with a great many carriages and horses coming and going.

But these are from eight hundred years ago.

Now.

All that's left is a small mound of earth.

The words "Cangya" are carved on the small mound; this is the city.

A cluster of military tents surrounded the small mound, firmly entrenched around it.

Several Battle Flag were planted at the edge of the tent.

The Battle Flag fluttered in the biting wind, bearing the two ancient characters "Heavenly Origin".

This is the Li Family's flag.

The Five Divine General Residences each have their own titles, such as the Wang Family's Heavenly Illumination Divine General Residence, while the Li Family's is the Heavenly Origin Divine General Residence.

At this moment, the cold wind howled and dust swept through the air.

Behind the military tents, on the edge of the cliff, were mounds of varying sizes, with broken wooden tablets casually stuck on them, serving as tombstones and markers for the deceased.

Huffing and puffing.

Nearby, several soldiers with torn Battle Armor were digging a hole with shovels.

Before long, several more people carried in a stretcher. On the stretcher were a hand, a mutilated leg, torn Battle Armor, and a dented helmet.

Once the pit was dug, they placed the items inside and then covered it with sand.

Then they found a tree, cut off a section to make a wooden plaque, carved a few words with their fingers, and stuck it on the grave mound.

Some stretchers contained only a few fingers and a lost boot.

And so it was buried, with four characters engraved on the wooden plaque:

The Li Family Soldiers.

The cold wind howled silently, blowing through the military tents and weaving through the gaps between them, squeezing out mournful cries that sounded like sobs.

Li Hongzhuang, clad in bright red armor, stood silently before the grave mound, her face expressionless.

Most of the wooden plaques here have no names on them, because the battles with Demon were so fierce that it was quite difficult to even preserve a whole corpse.

After all the newly added graves were buried, she reached out her hand, and the adjutant beside her handed her a jug of strong liquor.

She flicked her finger, kicked off the cork, and poured the wine in front of the graves.

She drank the last mouthful in one gulp.

We drank together with these brave warriors.

She didn't look at it again and turned to leave.

She has been doing this for Twenty Years, and she has been watching this scene for Twenty Years.

From a junior officer serving wine, he has risen to become the commander-in-chief.

Because her third and sixth brothers, who used to help her serve drinks, both collapsed one after another.

So, despite being a woman, she still chose to stand up.

They've held up the sky for Great Liang Province!

Li Hongzhuang is the youngest daughter of Li Tianzong. She has nine All Under Heaven Older Brother, each of whom is stunningly beautiful and admired by all. Among them, the most Prodigy Older Brother is Li Junye.

But he also passed away more than a decade ago.

At that time, she was stationed at this Border Pass and could not leave. She was even unable to attend the funeral of her ninth brother, with whom she had played since childhood in that Courtyard. Her tears could only fall on this battlefield.

She still remembers her father saying when she was a child that he named her this in the hope that she would find a good family to marry into.

From then on, she devoted herself to her husband and children, abandoning swordsmanship for books.

To be spared the suffering of slaying demons.

But from a young age, seeing the wounds on the soldiers who returned to the courtyard to report on military affairs, and seeing the empty ancestral tablets in the Ancestral Shrine, she understood that she could not give up the sword in her hand.

So she diligently cultivated herself, sought out Famed Master, and mastered Signature Technique.

He then descended the mountain and entered the world, using his Three-Foot Green Edge to slay millions of Demon Outside the Pass.

She has been fighting here for Twenty Years!

Twenty Years of hardship and battles have hardened her once delicate skin, making it as hard as rough sandpaper.

That once flowing black hair is now coiled in the helmet, stained with grease and the blood of Demon Creature, dirty and smelling foul.

This is something a woman finds most intolerable, but she's gotten used to it.

Apart from her face, she remains as stunningly beautiful and elegant as ever, unchanged.

But those eyes, once clear and gentle, have now become as cold and sharp as a star.

"Commander, we just finished counting. We slew 28 demons, seven died, and twelve were wounded."

Another deputy general stepped forward and reported to Li Hongzhuang.

Li Hongzhuang remained expressionless. She had witnessed the previous battle and already had a general idea of the casualties. She simply said:

"A letter came from the Lineage saying that reinforcements would arrive soon, and once they arrived, we would withdraw our troops for rotation."

"Have you located where the reinforcements have gone?"

The lieutenant shook his head slightly, about to speak, when suddenly, a bugle call came from outside the military tent.

Their expressions changed simultaneously, and they quickly took off, soaring into the sky.

From the direction of Dragon Gate Road outside the military camp tents, several small dots approached. As they drew closer, they became clear that they were a young couple and a White Fox.

Why would anyone else come to Dragon Gate Road?

Both of them were slightly taken aback, then quickly flew away.

They were stationed at Heaven's Gate Pass. Over the years, reinforcements had been arriving, but in small numbers, suggesting that they were already considering abandoning Heaven's Gate Pass.

As for Dragon Gate Road, it had already fallen and been occupied by Demon Creature.

Even the reinforcements that arrived all detoured around Dragon Gate Road, and some were already defeated and sunk on Dragon Gate Road, suffering heavy losses.

"Military camp?"

At this moment, Li Hao and Ren Qianqian walked over, both looking puzzled.

I thought this would lead to Azure Cliff City, but all I saw were military tents, cratered and cracked ground, untreated Demon corpses, and tattered Military Banner —it was a horrific battlefield.

At that moment, Li Hao heard a horn and saw two figures descending from the sky.

Who are you?

Li Hongzhuang looked at the young man in front of her and felt that his face seemed somewhat familiar, so she frowned in confusion.

Li Hao was about to speak when he suddenly fell silent.

If I've said I no longer bear the surname Li, then how should I refer to myself?

His eyes were somewhat dazed, but he quickly thought of a word and immediately said, "My surname is Ji, you can just call me Ji Hao. I'm here to replace your reinforcements."

"Ji Hao?"

Neither Li Hongzhuang nor her deputy had heard of this name before, but upon hearing Li Hao's next words, they were both delighted and simultaneously looked towards the distance behind Li Hao:

Where are they?

The two were puzzled, for there was nothing behind Li Hao.

"That's me," Li Hao said.

The two froze, their excitement instantly vanishing, and simultaneously looked at Li Hao: "You?"

"It's not just me."

Li Hao said, "This is my Sword Attendant, and these are just my companions; there are three of us."

As for Old Feng, he had long been hiding to the side and was also the one Li Hao relied on to dare to come to Heaven's Gate Pass, but he could not be introduced to the person in front of him.

Old Feng's identity is despised and scorned by the world, making it a sensitive matter. His relationship with Second Master is purely private, and no one knows it publicly; otherwise, it would have caused an uproar long ago.

"..."

Upon hearing Li Hao's words, Li Hongzhuang and her deputy were stunned, a hint of astonishment appearing on their weathered, calloused faces.

Looking around again, there was indeed no other Aura.

This kid?

Reinforcements?

Li Hongzhuang exclaimed in shock and anger, "Are you kidding me?"

After waiting and hoping for so long, all she got was a teenager. Anger surged within her.

Li Hao shook his head and said seriously, "No, I am indeed here to replace you. I will guard this place for the next three years, until I die."

"You think you can hold out for three years?"

Li Hongzhuang was so angry she almost laughed. Guarding a lonely city alone? Even she wouldn't dare say that!

"Has Seventh Brother gone mad?!"

Li Hongzhuang ignored Li Hao and instead said to her deputy, "Send Communication back immediately to find out what Li Tiangang means. Does he really intend to abandon us completely, or does he have other intentions?"

The lieutenant accepted the order and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, a figure flew over and landed in front of them.

This was an elderly man dressed in Battle Armor, with gray hair and a calm, reserved gaze.

He glanced at Li Hao first, then bowed to Li Hongzhuang and said, "Miss."

Li Hongzhuang sensed that the other person also possessed the Aura of Three Immortalities. She examined him carefully but couldn't recognize him.

The adjutant beside him seemed to recognize him and exclaimed in surprise, "You are General Li He?"

"Li He?"

Upon hearing the name, Li Hongzhuang pondered for a moment, then her face lit up with surprise. When she was a child training in the Martial Arts Arena, Li He had already made a name for himself outside.

These are people from the previous generation of the Li Family, the same generation as my Second Uncle and his family.

However, he was Concubine-born Disciples.

Li He was one of the most outstanding among the Concubine-born Disciples of that generation.

"Miss Hongzhuang, please allow me a moment to speak," Li He said.

Li Hongzhuang was slightly puzzled, but she still followed him and flew to the side.

Li Hao and his deputy remained where they were.

Li Hao was not surprised by the sudden appearance of the old man. Although this was their first close encounter, the old man had been following him all the way from Qing Prefecture to here for five days.

According to what Old Feng said, these were most likely people sent by Li Tiangang to secretly protect him.

Li Hao didn't feel anything about this.

Most of the Demon Creature on the road were dealt with by Old Feng and himself. Once his injuries healed, he would no longer need Old Feng to take action against Demon Creature below the Immortality Realm.

At that moment, while the other party was having a private conversation with that aunt, Li Hao also asked the deputy general:

"Isn't Azure Cliff City at the end of Dragon Gate Road? How much further do we need to walk?"

The lieutenant said in a deep voice, "Where you are standing now is Azure Cliff City."

"Um?"

Li Hao froze, looking at him in surprise.

Then, looking around, there was no city to be seen.

"Hundreds of years of war, frequent and fierce attacks from Demon, have left Azure Cliff City battered and bruised, suffering too many devastating blows. It is no longer able to repair its walls or rebuild its magical runes; the entire city has been destroyed."

The lieutenant said, "Now only that place remains; it's a city, and also the place we're stationed there."

As he spoke, he pointed to a small mound of earth not far away.

Li Hao looked over and was stunned.

That little mound was only a few meters high; it disappeared with a simple snap of the hand.

This is... Azure Cliff City?

He knew the Border Pass wars were brutal, but he hadn't expected them to be this brutal.

The entire city was razed to the ground.

"So, you're saying that you're guarding this place without any cover, just going to face the Demon head-on?" Li Hao asked.

The lieutenant said expressionlessly, "The only wall is our own bodies."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Li Hao remained silent.

Not long after, Li Hongzhuang and Li He returned.

Li Hongzhuang looked at Li Hao with a complicated expression and said, "You're actually Hao'er!"

Li Hao glanced at old man Li He, guessing that he had told this aunt about it.

"It's me. Now you believe me, right? You can withdraw your troops."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes were filled with complex emotions and grief as she said, "How could Seventh Brother be so heartless? It was just a small conflict, why did it escalate like this? Where are Fifth Uncle, Second Uncle, and Eldest Sister-in-Law? Don't they care?"

Li Hao shook his head slightly, not wanting to bring up these matters again.

"Hao'er, you're being too impulsive! Go back now, or you'll die!" Li Hongzhuang said.

No wonder she thought the boy looked similar; even though it was their first meeting, she didn't want to see her nephew do something foolish.

It's alright.

Li Hao smiled slightly and said, "To die here, at least you'd be considered a martyr; to die elsewhere, you'd be nothing."

"Why are you so stubborn, child? Your father wouldn't really kill you," Li Hongzhuang said with a sorrowful expression.

Li Hao shook his head and said, "Auntie, it's getting late. You should retreat as soon as possible. I heard these soldiers have been guarding this place for many years. It's time for them to go back and visit their wives, children, and elderly mothers."

Upon hearing this, the deputy general beside him trembled, and his numb, cracked face seemed to moisten slightly.

Li Hongzhuang suddenly fell silent, then shook her head and said, "The others can leave, but I won't."

She looked up at the small mound behind her, even though it could no longer be considered a city.

But this is still the place where Third Brother and Sixth Brother risked their lives to defend.

She wanted to fight here until her last breath.

"The Heroic Soul of these fallen soldiers still need companionship."

Li Hongzhuang's eyes were sharp and serious as she slowly said, "I originally planned to stay here and continue fighting with the reinforcements when they arrived, but since it's just you now, your aunt will stay here with you to continue killing demons, as many as we can!"

"This is the land of my Great Yu Dynasty, and also the place where our Li Family has guarded for many years."

"Unless Imperial Decree, we will not yield an inch!"

Her eyes shone with a sharp light, yet her body was as imposing as the Great Wall.