Chapter Seventy-One: Hanging by a Thread

Chapter Seventy-One
Li Hao’s Life Hangs by a Thread in the Face of Assassination

Li Hao, accompanied by Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhenba, hurried toward the Desire Incarnation. As they passed through a valley, three or four elegantly dressed young cultivators stood atop the ridge above. Two of them were at the minor completion stage of the Wandering Realm, and the other two at the major completion stage. Even the lowest among them surpassed Li Hao’s peak strength—when he had nine incarnations within him—by three small realms, and at this moment, they were four realms stronger than Li Hao.

These four, plotting their scheme on the cliff beside the valley, had been hired by Du Qingfeng to assassinate Li Hao, their payment secured. They were also among the top contenders in the current selection tournament at the Palace of Combat.

Li Hao, Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhenba entered the heart of the valley, oblivious to the four young cultivators above, whose powers gathered in their eyes as they observed every move, waiting for their chance.

As the group stepped into the exact center of the valley, the four on the cliff launched their assault from on high—three wielding swords, one brandishing a blade—rushing down with wind-shredding speed and a terrifying force.

Besides Li Hao and his companions, only Xiao Jiu, currently residing within the Nine Dragons War Halberd, was aware of the threat lurking atop the cliff. Within a thousand-li radius, Xiao Jiu perceived every action keenly. When the four attackers struck, Xiao Jiu called out, “Young master, dodge! Danger overhead!”

Li Hao heard Xiao Jiu’s warning, but it was already too late to alert Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhenba. He could only gather the laws of heaven and earth in an instant, pushing Lin Xueyou forward with all his might.

Zhenba, noticing Li Hao’s odd behavior, was confused. In that brief moment of hesitation, Li Hao spun around and, with a powerful kick, sent Zhenba flying backward. Then, he quickly grabbed Lu Yao and dodged leftward.

Lin Xueyou was propelled dozens of feet away before she managed to steady herself, bewildered. Zhenba, caught off guard, was sent tumbling through the air by Li Hao’s sudden kick. Lu Yao, too surprised to react, found herself in Li Hao’s arms as he darted aside.

Before they could recover from the shock, the sound of rushing blades overhead made them look up—four figures, weapons drawn, descended at breakneck speed. Witnessing this, the trio finally understood Li Hao’s strange actions.

None of them paused to question how Li Hao knew danger was descending from above.

The four attackers, confident in their speed and intent on killing, had not anticipated Li Hao’s awareness or his quick action to remove his companions from harm. Unable to halt their momentum, they crashed down with overwhelming force, stirring up clouds of dust. When the dust settled, three swords and one blade were embedded deep in the earth, buried to their hilts.

Having missed their strike, the four young cultivators regrouped rapidly. They had attacked with deadly intent, aiming to eliminate Li Hao and his group without a trace in this realm. Yet, their overconfidence betrayed them.

But for Xiao Jiu’s timely warning, the group would have suffered grievous harm, if not death.

Li Hao and his companions, seeing the outcome, silently exclaimed, “That was close!”

“Brother Zhenba, deal with the two lower realm ones first, then come support us. Sister Xueyou, hold off one of the stronger ones. Leave the rest to me. Yao’er, find a place to hide and protect yourself,” Li Hao quickly analyzed and assigned roles.

Lin Xueyou, though not adept at combat, could create illusions to confound an opponent slightly weaker than herself, holding them at bay for a while. The two strongest among the attackers matched Zhenba’s realm, but were a realm below Lin Xueyou. In equal combat, facing two at once would be overwhelming; defeat would be inevitable unless the three were closely matched.

Lu Yao’s realm was far too low to contribute meaningfully; her best help was simply not to hinder Li Hao and Zhenba. Besides, she was not a combat cultivator.

Lin Xueyou, though not a fighter, could manipulate the laws of heaven and earth to craft illusions and ensnare opponents, even launching attacks within those illusions. However, below the Soul Refining Realm, such techniques lacked true lethality—she might control a Wandering Realm cultivator for a short time, but could not inflict real harm.

Cultivators who specialized in manipulating the laws through soul power below the Soul Refining Realm posed little true threat in battle; their role was mostly supportive.

Lin Xueyou, Lu Yao, and Zhenba each voiced their concern for Li Hao:

“Brother Li Hao, be careful!”

“Take care, Li Hao!”

“Young master, protect yourself. Once I defeat my opponents, I’ll come to help you.”

Li Hao replied gratefully, “Alright, but you must all remain vigilant as well.”

He was confident that, together with Lin Xueyou, he could delay the two highest realm attackers, leaving Zhenba to overpower the lower realm pair and then join him in defeating the rest, before aiding Lin Xueyou.

“Why are you attacking us? We’re strangers to you,” Li Hao asked, suspecting the attack was linked to the earlier assault on the Desire Incarnation, hoping to glean information and prepare.

“You’re about to die, boy. What does it matter what you know?” sneered one of the young cultivators, sizing up Li Hao and his companions. Only Zhenba and Lin Xueyou posed a threat. Seeing Lin Xueyou’s nervousness and lack of combat experience, and noting her only weapon was a crimson phoenix brush, they judged her to be a non-combatant. Lu Yao, just a young girl at the peak of the Foundation Realm, was dismissed entirely. Their main target was Li Hao—once he was dealt with, the others could be dispatched if possible, but their deaths were irrelevant. With everything clear, their confidence soared, prompting their arrogance.

“Perhaps there’s a misunderstanding. Explain yourselves; maybe we can resolve this differently,” Li Hao pressed, unwilling to miss an opportunity to probe their motives.

“Boy, did you break a young man’s legs a few days ago?” asked a youth with an air of superiority, pointing at Li Hao.

“So that’s it. I understand. Yet I still have a few words for you,” Li Hao realized the reason behind the attack, hoping to resolve the matter peacefully—if a fight broke out, his friends might be harmed, which he could not bear.

“Spit it out, kid. The sooner you’re done, the sooner we take your head for the reward,” another arrogant youth snapped.

“Du Qingfeng, with his family background, is nothing but a bully and a scoundrel. Such people deserve their fate. The fact I spared his life was mercy enough. I hope you’ll see his true nature and not aid the wicked,” Li Hao pleaded, despite their harsh words.

“Are you finished? If you want us to spare you, bring out a hundred gold soul coins, or we’ll take your life for the bounty.”

Clearly, the four were determined to kill Li Hao.

Li Hao said, “Friends, leave a path for yourself; you never know when our paths might cross again. Must you insist?”

His concern was for Lu Yao, fearing she might be caught in the crossfire. He tried every means to persuade them, hoping to avoid combat.

“Hahaha! Boy, you have no future left to speak of. There’s no point discussing what happens next.”

Li Hao’s earnest words were met with derision, treated as a worthless joke.

Repeated attempts to reason only provoked greater hostility. At last, Li Hao truly grew angry. His star-like eyes flashed with a chilling light, though his face remained composed, with a sinister smile that gave him an unsettling, demonic air.

“Attack!” Li Hao commanded. Instantly, he gathered the laws of heaven and earth and charged toward his foes, with Zhenba and Lin Xueyou following suit, unleashing their powers.

Zhenba, clutching his crescent blades, heard Li Hao’s command. Both blades flew from his hands like silvery discs, infused with the laws of heaven and earth, streaking toward the two weakest youths.

Lin Xueyou, channeling the laws into her crimson phoenix brush, closed her almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows. The brush moved as her heart willed, drawing a semicircle from right to left—a crimson whip of gathered laws lashed out at the four attackers.

Seeing Lin Xueyou’s whip, the four quickly dodged. Her attacks, though not powerful, could wear down opponents over time. None would foolishly stand and take the blows. Their avoidance gave Li Hao and Zhenba the chance to close in and separate them.

Lin Xueyou, eyes closed, used her soul sense to target her opponents and summon the laws of heaven and earth, conjuring a myriad of illusions.

With a flourish of her brush, she sketched a dazzling arc, and then, her slender hand thrust forward, summoning a lifelike spear formed from the laws. The spear pierced at her chosen target. The youth countered with a flourish of his blade, shattering the spear and the law energy upon impact.

Next, Lin Xueyou quickly drew a towering mountain, which crashed down from above toward her target. The youth tried to evade, but it was too late. He gathered the laws into his blade and pierced through the mountain’s base.

Li Hao, wielding the Nine Dragons War Halberd, sent dragon shadows and roars with every strike. Though he had not yet mastered the forty-six halberd techniques, he swung the weapon in a wild, chaotic manner.

Oddly enough, his opponent was thrown into confusion by this unruly style.

Zhenba’s adversaries proved more challenging than expected; their coordination allowed them to exchange dozens of blows with Zhenba without showing signs of defeat.

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