A city rises

With the defeat of the three Demon Kings, the Demon Tide Outside the Pass also suffered a one-sided rout, scattering and fleeing in all directions, but most of them were left behind and hacked to death by a hail of swords.

The many Grandmaster returned to the camp and paid their respects to Lu Chunsheng and Li Muxiu one after another, before gathering in front of Li Hao.

They were almost all covered in blood. Some were severely injured, with broken arms, some had torn calves that were bandaged, and others had their eyes or half of their faces ripped off by some Demon, leaving them a bloody mess. All of them were also covered with medicinal powder.

If Lu Chunsheng hadn't arrived in time, they would most likely have been wiped out in this battle.

We won!

Someone said something that immediately cheered everyone else up.

Compared to them, the number of Demon who died here was far greater.

However, many passionate individuals who had gathered from various states also perished there.

Li Hao didn't speak, but simply bowed deeply to them.

Although it was Heavenly Secrets Pavilion that guided and arranged things, the sacrifices these people made to come here were real.

Lu Chunsheng didn't linger there. He said to Li Hao, "I'll wait for you at the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion."

Then he turned and left without a trace.

A herd of warhorses galloped in from afar, led by a figure clad in bright red Battle Armor —it was Li Hongzhuang, who had returned to Qing Prefecture earlier.

Looking at Li Hao's mangled body, her eyes welled up with tears. Having witnessed countless soldiers die in battle, she stepped forward and said, "I'm too late!"

Li Hao shook his head slightly and said, "Thank you for your reinforcements."

"Why are you thanking me?" Li Hongzhuang eyes reddening.

Li Hao didn't reply, but instead said to the Grandmaster Lin Qingfeng, who was unharmed, beside him:

"Please trouble you, senior, to take stock of the fallen heroes. It would be even better if you could identify their identities."

Lin Qingfeng nodded slightly, beckoned to the others, and turned to leave.

Li Hongzhuang said, "I can handle this kind of thing."

She turned and said, "Brothers, go and take inventory of the battlefield. Bring back all the fallen brothers, and try to piece together their remains as completely as possible!"

"Yes!"

The Blood Fiend Army behind her echoed her sentiments and then rode away.

Li Hao plopped down on the ground; the Sacred Heart Treasure Talisman in his hand had burned completely.

Thinking back to when Chu Jiuyue gave him this talisman, he probably foresaw what would happen today.

And the fact that the Chief Pavilion Master, Lu Chunsheng, "coincidentally" appeared just as I was casting the Sacred Heart Treasure Talisman seemed too much of a coincidence.

Li Hao sat casually on the sand with his legs apart, gazing at the fading Setting Sun's Afterglow in the distance, a bitter smile on his lips.

Regardless, the other party's assistance was indeed in place. Otherwise, even if he survived today, he would have been severely injured, and that agreement would certainly have been broken.

If Yu Emperor is indeed that old man Chess by the Willow Tree River, Li Hao can only say that he won those two games back then, but today's move has hit his lifeline, a truly ruthless move!

Yu Province, the Sacred Capital Imperial City.

In the majestic rear courtyard of the Imperial Palace, in a small garden with sparse snow.

One of the flowerbeds has already sprouted new branches, and this year's cold winter is almost over.

"Your Majesty, the plum blossoms stand proudly, and the forsythia will soon be in bloom."

Chu Jiuyue spoke softly, looking at the faint yellow buds gradually appearing in the flowerbed, and said respectfully.

The snow in this garden has been cleared, and the flowerbeds have been carefully tended. The seeds are all carefully selected from millions of seeds, so they are all of the best quality.

"Yes, the cold winter is coming to an end, and the Spring Rain are coming soon..."

Yu Emperor walked slowly through the garden. Following Chu Jiuyue's voice, he stopped in front of the flowerbed, glanced at it, and then looked up at the distant horizon.

His eyes flickered, and he said softly:

"The matter at Heaven's Gate Pass should be resolved soon, right?"

Chu Jiuyue calculated the time and nodded, saying, "We should receive news of Chunsheng in two days."

"The intention this time is too obvious; that child will most likely notice it."

Yu Emperor's lips curled up slightly as he thought of the young man by the river who said, "Merit and Fame and fortune are all dust, and glory and wealth are also fleeting clouds."

The fact that the other party dared to abandon the Li Family name seems to confirm their statement. "Young people have their own youthful arrogance."

While he takes a detached view of Merit and Fame, he also possesses a frivolous and unrestrained spirit that he finds quite endearing.

"Didn't His Majesty intend for him to know?"

Chu Jiuyue was confused. If she directly flattered him by saying that no one could see through his scheme, it would be too cliché and fall into Lower Vehicle. Besides, His Majesty greatly admired that child, so such words would also belittle the other party, and would not be a clever remark.

"If he sees through it, will he develop other thoughts and blame His Majesty?"

Chu Jiuyue asked.

He knew that Yu Emperor wanted to hear more than just his flattery.

"Hehe..."

Upon hearing Chu Jiuyue's words, Yu Emperor chuckled, "Every plan has a route, and that route is easily seen through."

"Of all the scheming in the world, none is as valuable as True Heart."

"Only a True Heart can see through illusions."

Chu Jiuyue was slightly taken aback, glancing at the Emperor. So, Your Majesty's feelings for that young man were True Heart?

His eyes flickered; he wasn't sure whether to believe him.

But since His Majesty had said so, he had no choice but to believe it.

Liang Prefecture, Heaven's Gate Pass.

In the camp of Azure Cliff City, one-third of the Warrior and Grandmaster from various states who had come to help had died in battle, and another third Bieli to Li Hao and left.

Some of the remaining members planned to stay here and help Li Hao guard the area for a while longer.

Everyone saw Li Hao's severely injured state and waited for Li Hao injuries to heal.

Many new graves have been added to the cemetery within the Border Pass.

Among those fallen Grandmaster were their wives and disciples, who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news to take their remains back for burial.

Li Hao naturally agreed.

On a Mountain Peak Outside the Pass.

Two figures sat there, in the stillness of the night, with no wind or snow. Beside them were only two small jugs of wine. They were Li Muxiu and Feng Boping.

What kind of fish have you caught lately?

Feng Boping took a sip of his wine, looked at the snowstorm before him, and casually asked a question.

Li Muxiu shook his head slightly. "I'm not in the mood to go fishing."

Feng Boping was slightly taken aback. He glanced at his old friend and suddenly said, "Your arrival to reinforce us, was it really arranged by that True Dragon of your Li Family?"

Li Muxiu lowered his head and poked at the snow on the ground with his fingers, without saying a word.

Feng Boping had already anticipated the answer and sighed, "Are you trying to persuade Hao'er to go back? Are you sure you want him to return to that place? Even I, an outsider, can't stand it anymore. I don't believe you can really bear to do it."

Li Muxiu's finger stopped tracing circles in the snow. He looked up and turned to look at Feng Boping.

"If we don't say that, how can Hao'er go back? You saw how dangerous it was for Hao'er this time; you two almost died!"

"Even if we have to hold our noses and go back, at least we'll be safe there. When Hao'er inherits the True Dragon and surpasses his father in strength, why will he need to be at the mercy of others anymore?"

Feng Boping paused for a moment before saying, "Then what is the true meaning of the True Dragon? Since you weren't sent by him, what did he do? He couldn't possibly be unaware of what Heaven's Gate Pass would suffer, could he?"

Li Muxiu sighed and said, "He went to the Eastern Border of Liang Prefecture. The Frontier camp there was attacked, and Xuan Li, who was stationed in the west, couldn't send reinforcements in time. Moreover, the attack there was likely a feint by the Demon, so he personally led the expedition."

"When Hongzhuang returned, he had just gone to war. These are turbulent times, and who knows what the Future few years will hold."

Feng Boping asked in surprise, "Is it that chaotic? The Demon Beyond the Border Liang Prefecture have revealed themselves. Now that you've detected their presence, they shouldn't be launching any more sneak attacks or changing their positions. There's no need to keep an eye on this place."

"Furthermore, His Majesty hasn't sent reinforcements. This is a rare opportunity to lure and kill them."

Li Muxiu his head. "His Majesty is too busy to spare any resources. It's not just Liang Prefecture that's been attacked; the situation in several other major prefectures is also dire. You don't know, but Three Months ago in Qizhou, the Frontier was almost breached. Three cities were destroyed overnight, and not a single person escaped. That was Xia Family territory, and now Xia Family is on high alert."

"So you Xia Family because of this?"

Li Muxiu picked up the wine pot, took a sip, and said nothing more.

Discussing these military matters too much with Feng Boping wouldn't do his old friend any good.

Feng Boping also realized that he had asked too many questions, and although they were close friends, there were certain things they did not infringe on each other's rights.

"Don't worry about Hao'er. I'm old and I can still hold on for a few more years."

Feng Boping said to him.

Li Muxiu glanced at him and nodded. "It's been tough on you, being tied up here for the past three years."

"Come on, if you really feel wronged, let me take a stroll through your Li Family's ancestral treasure vault later," Feng Boping sneered.

Li Muxiu rolled his eyes at him. "Don't even think about it."

Those who remained at Heaven's Gate Pass were speechless with shock as they looked at the "Azure Cliff City," which had been reduced to a small mound, and the endless graveyard that stretched like a city wall.

At this moment, they finally understood what a true Frontier city was.

This is a city of flesh and blood, a city of Heroic Soul!

Moved by this, many people chose to stay and help Li Hao rebuild Azure Cliff City.

With the help of these Warriors, the project was launched quickly and progressed rapidly.

As the saying goes, many hands make light work. Their network of connections was enormous. Apart from the stone and timber needed for city construction, which they could source themselves outside the pass, all other living supplies were transported from various cities.

Therefore, the flags of caravans gradually appeared on the Dragon Gate Road, which had been deserted for decades.

There were also the serial numbers of the escort agencies that handled the transport.

This once-silent Great Dao now seems to have been revived and become a real road again!

This road leads to Azure Cliff City.

Outside the original small mound, towering city walls have been erected. With the help of many masters and Grandmaster from the Fifteen Li Realm, transporting large stones is easy, and the construction of the city is progressing at Divine Speed.

Skyscrapers rise from the ground, cities are built from the ground.

One building after another stands tall, adorned with carved dragons and painted phoenixes, exquisitely constructed.

On the city wall, as the rope was pulled open, a Military Banner fluttered in the wind.

Above are two large, dark characters:

Haotian!