Chapter 80: Youthful Ambition

Chapter 80: The Oath of Youthful Passion

Qin Zhen only dared to reveal the little secret in Lu Yao’s heart after running a safe distance away, to avoid her wrathful embarrassment and possible retribution. At his words, everyone’s gaze instinctively turned to Lu Yao. Her secret had been unceremoniously exposed by the mischievous Qin Zhen, and she was already blushing with shyness. Now, with everyone’s eyes upon her, her delicate, flawless face flushed an even deeper shade of red. Hastily, she covered her burning cheeks with her slender, jade-like hands and darted away like a startled fawn.

Lin Xueyou, too, had discerned Lu Yao’s feelings. She paused, then let it go with a knowing smile. After all, who could blame her? Li Hao was a youth of striking appearance, exceptional talent, kindness without thought of reward, unwavering devotion to family, ruthless decisiveness in defense of his friends, and capable of slaying for the sake of a beloved. With such a remarkable, passionate young man, what normal maiden could resist? Unless, perhaps, she was truly addled. All the more so for Lu Yao, who had grown up alongside Li Hao as his childhood friend.

After Lu Yao fled, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen exchanged a glance. Qin Zhen leaned over to whisper something into Zhen Ba’s ear. Li Hao noticed their odd looks, but had no idea what they were plotting.

Before he could react, Zhen Ba, who was closest, seized his arm. Instantly, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen swarmed around him, hemming him in completely.

“What are you all doing?” Li Hao asked, utterly perplexed.

“We’re not doing anything to you—we’re doing you!” Qin Zhen replied with a wicked grin.

The four of them each grabbed an arm or a leg, and with a coordinated effort, tossed Li Hao high into the air, sending him soaring dozens of yards above the ground. As he tried to summon the laws of heaven and earth to steady himself, they were upon him again, sending him flying even higher. After several breaths, the five elegant youths descended gracefully from the sky.

Once they landed, Zhen Ba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen lined up respectfully in front of Li Hao, bowing deeply. “Zhen Ba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen thank you, young master, for granting us a new life.”

Each of them had been changed by Li Hao. He had restored their cultivation without thought of reward, treating them all with equal generosity, even Zhen Ba, who had joined them the latest. Everything they now possessed was owed to this boy, who was even younger than they. He had transformed not only their fates, but their very souls.

Moved to tears, Kuihu declared, “Young master, I shall never forget your kindness. Should I break this vow, may my soul be forever imprisoned in the endless abyss, suffering torment through ten thousand lifetimes, enduring the cruel punishments of ceaseless reincarnation. In this life, I am yours to command—my life and blood are yours.”

Zhen Ba, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen echoed him in unison, “Young master, your kindness to us shall never be forgotten. Should we break this vow, may our souls be forever imprisoned in the endless abyss, suffering torment through ten thousand lifetimes, enduring the cruel punishments of ceaseless reincarnation. In this life, our lives and blood are yours.”

Li Hao was deeply moved by his friends’ solemn oaths. He quickly reached out to help them to their feet, his voice trembling with emotion. “I, Li Hao, have found myself stranded here, without kin or friend. In the past, Grandpa Baicao’s family looked after me with boundless kindness. Now, to have brothers such as you who do not abandon me—it is the greatest fortune of my three lives, a blessing to last ten thousand generations. Heaven and earth bear witness, the sun and moon are my oath: I, Li Hao, will share hardship and joy with my brothers. Should I break this vow, may I suffer the loss of family, betrayal by my beloved, scorn from all humanity, annihilation by heaven and earth, the torment of utter solitude, and the eternal darkness of a forsaken soul, never again to see the light.”

Thus, five young men, brimming with youthful passion, forged an eternal bond in this world within worlds. From this moment on, their extraordinary journey began. Eight hundred years later, each would become a ruler in their own right, and together, they would face the calamity of ten thousand generations, saving all living beings from fire and water.

Lin Xueyou, watching these fervent youths, felt her heart stirred as well. She was certain that this “little brother” Li Hao was no ordinary person, and that none who came near him—man or woman—could escape the pull of his invisible charisma. Even she herself, standing here, could not help but wish to draw closer, to learn more of him; in his presence, she felt an indescribable peace.

Meanwhile, Lu Yao, watching from afar, felt nothing but joy for her brother Li Hao. As long as she was by his side, she felt she could never be harmed.

After this heartfelt exchange, Zhen Ba was fully welcomed into their circle; the five felt a happiness and comfort they had never known before. Especially Zhen Ba, who, in this moment, finally tasted the preciousness of true friendship. The shadows of his past, lingering for over a decade, now dissipated like clouds before the wind.

“Little sister Yao, let’s go find Sister Xuemei and the others.” After a while of cheerful banter, Li Hao called out to Lu Yao, who was hiding not far away. At his words, her heart pounded uncontrollably, and she mumbled to herself, “Oh no, oh no, how did brother Li Hao spot me? No, he’s probably just bluffing! I’m not that gullible, you rascal. If I fall for your trick, that would be an insult to my intelligence. I’m not coming out.”

As she muttered, a gentle voice sounded beside her, “What is little sister Yao mumbling about?”

“Ah!” Startled, Lu Yao saw Li Hao looking her way and immediately ducked behind a tree. Though she reacted quickly, her skirts betrayed her—her hem peeked out, just visible to Li Hao, who strode over. As he approached, he heard her whispering behind the tree.

She had just been badmouthing him, and was caught off guard by his sudden appearance. Flustered, she stammered, “Brother Li Hao, I…”

She wanted to protest that she hadn’t said anything bad about him, but before she could finish, Li Hao interrupted, “Little sister Yao, your skirt gave you away—I saw you long ago. No need to hide. Come, let’s go find Sister Xuemei and the others.”

Hearing this, Lu Yao felt a small pang of defeat at her failed hiding attempt. In a mixture of embarrassment and mock anger, she cried, “You’re a meanie, brother Li Hao! I’m going to find Sister Xueyou instead!” And with that, she rushed over to Lin Xueyou, her face as red as a rose in bloom, and took her arm. “Sister Xueyou, let’s go. Ignore those troublemakers.”

Lin Xueyou looked down at the adorable Lu Yao, her heart stirred by affection, and smiled. “Alright, we’ll ignore them.”

Hand in hand, the two girls walked off, leaving the boys behind. Yet as Lu Yao clung to Lin Xueyou’s arm, she kept one ear trained on the conversation behind them, listening intently for the sound of “her” brother Li Hao following.

Li Hao walked with Zhen Ba, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen, chatting as they went. Zhen Ba sighed, “Young master, when I saw you slay that violet-clad youth at the peak of the Roaming Immortal stage single-handedly, I was dumbfounded. Only after my own power was compressed and purified by your wondrous formation did I realize just how pure and formidable your strength truly is. At the same cultivation level, I could never hope to be your match.”

Li Hao replied earnestly, “You flatter me, brother Zhen Ba. I was only able to kill that violet-clad cultivator by a stroke of luck—he was too arrogant and underestimated me. Had he been more cautious, at best I could have fought him to a draw. With my current strength, defeating him would have been nearly impossible, much less killing him outright.”

He spoke the plain truth. If that violet-clad youth had been cautious, Li Hao could not possibly have won unless he summoned all nine of his external avatars, and to kill him would require mastering the second form of his Invincible Nine-Dragon Halberd: the Divine Dragon’s Tail.

Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen were all shocked and curious at the tale of Li Hao slaying a peak Roaming Immortal cultivator.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Kuihu pressed, “Young master, it must have been a spectacular battle! Tell us the story!”

Li Zhan and Qin Zhen chimed in eagerly. Li Hao was reluctant, but in the face of their relentless pestering, he relented and recounted simply, “We exchanged three hundred blows with neither gaining the upper hand. After the three hundred and fiftieth move, I found an opening and used the first form of my Man-level Invincible Nine-Dragon Halberd technique, ‘Dragon Soaring the Plains.’ When he let his guard down, I employed the Mirage Phantom Step taught to me by Lu Zhengtian to circle behind him, and with a single strike of ‘Dragon Soaring the Plains,’ I slew him. That move exhausted all my strength. Later, when Sister Xueyou was in danger, I was completely powerless to help. That’s when I had no choice but to summon one of my avatars to seek you out. The rest, you already know.”

“So that’s how it happened!”

After Li Hao finished his simple account, Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen understood the course of events. Though he made it sound easy, they knew the battle must have been fraught with peril.

Li Zhan, still shaken, said, “Thinking back to a few days ago, when I was defeated by the young master in a single punch, I feel there was no injustice at all.”

“You’ve fought him? Tell us about it!” Zhen Ba, hearing this, looked at Li Zhan with admiration—he actually dared to fight Li Hao. After their time together, Zhen Ba had grown much closer to them all.

Li Zhan realized his slip and smacked himself. He had just exposed his own embarrassing past.

Kuihu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen all turned pleading eyes to Zhen Ba.

“Can we not talk about it? We’ll call you big brother and listen to you from now on.”

“What, all three of you fought him? You’ve got to tell me now. I don’t want to accept you three as my little brothers.”

His words nearly choked the three of them. They wanted to teach this unkind Zhen Ba a lesson, but seeing that his realm now exceeded theirs by a whole stage, their bravado faded. Left with no recourse, they looked to Li Hao for help.

But Li Hao pretended not to notice.

Cornered, the three had no choice but to resign themselves to their fate.

“Why don’t you tell it?” Kuihu said, nudging Li Zhan.

“You tell it!” Li Zhan countered.

“I’m not saying a word,” Qin Zhen retorted.

Li Zhan, exasperated, jabbed a finger at Qin Zhen’s nose. “You really won’t?”

Qin Zhen turned his head away. “Nope.”