The Name of Eternals

Chapter 176: The Kill

This strike was like a phoenix's cry piercing the sky, imbued with a brilliant divine fire that was unavoidable and completely locked in!

Feng Shanjun's previous retreat had been a ploy to lure Li Tiangang away from the formation. His aim was to pierce Li Tiangang's body and torment his soul, presenting him before Li Hao to witness his father's gruesome death!

As the divine spear descended, a burst of radiant divine power erupted, a fiery blade angrily cleaving upwards!

"Break for me!!"

The blade severed the spear's glow, and the explosive divine power and overwhelming momentum caused Feng Shanjun's body to momentarily stall!

In that brief opening, Li Tiangang's eyes shot out divine light, roaring towards the sky, and his divine blade slashed forth, cleaving Feng Shanjun's body in half!

Golden blood splattered like sparks, and Feng Shanjun screamed, hurriedly retreating, staring in horror.

Li Tiangang, wielding his divine blade, strode towards him, his aura soaring to the heavens like a burning sun, resembling an enraged deity of fire! Was this the Four Abilities realm?!

Feng Shanjun's pupils contracted in shock. Li Tiangang had been concealing his aura, pretending to be in the Three Immortals realm!

Now, his true cultivation was revealed to be at the Dao Heart realm! This true dragon of the Li family had unexpectedly reached the Four Abilities realm! "Nine Steps of Defiance, die for me!!"

Li Tiangang no longer hid his strength. His black hair flew wildly as he revealed his Four Abilities realm aura.

It was because of his breakthrough that he dared step out of the formation to fight this demon king.

Apart from Li Junye, he was a rare prodigy, having reached the Three Immortals realm at 23. Such cultivation speed was enough to shake the world, yet he had kept a low profile.

After fighting in Yanbei for over a decade, he had already reached the peak of the Three Immortals realm, touching the threshold of the Dao Heart realm.

Shortly after his battle with Li Hao in Qingzhou, he stepped into the Four Abilities realm, finding his Dao Heart.

The Principle of All Things!

This was his Dao, his heart!

Thud, thud, thud!!

He unleashed his self-created ultimate martial arts technique, each step causing the heavens and earth to tremble. With each step, his momentum grew, his divine power blazing ever more intensely!

After six steps, his aura was like a deity in the sky, roaring as he swung his blade.

The heavens seemed to split, everything governed by laws, he followed the law of the heavens, rectifying all chaos!

Kill!

The blade shone brilliantly, like a blazing sun, unleashing terrifying divine might.

The half-body Feng Shanjun was in utter shock. Li Tiangang was only in the Dao Heart realm, yet his aura made even Feng Shanjun feel fearful, as if he was facing an unstoppable force.

The humiliation from Tianmen Pass seemed to be repeating itself.

His eyes turned crimson, spewing divine fire and lightning, roaring as he revealed his true form.

But his half-formed fire phoenix was pitiful. The other half was formed from divine flames. He roared, spewing true phoenix flames!

The surrounding temperature skyrocketed, the earth cracked, turning into magma, the air twisting with heat.

Centuries ago, he had incinerated an entire city with his passing, turning its inhabitants to ash. Now, his full power phoenix flames could crack the flesh of even those in the Immortal realm!

Boom! The overwhelming flames were cleaved apart, and Li Tiangang stepped through the fire, taking the seventh step, his aura surging further.

"Reverse Fate realm, let me take your life!"

Li Tiangang's eyes were cold as iron, his blade slashing, hundreds, thousands of strikes, tearing through the sea of fire, aiming at Feng Shanjun's true form.

Feng Shanjun was both enraged and terrified. Despite burning his true phoenix blood, he had little left.

Seeing the enraged figure charging at him, he saw an image of the youth from beyond the pass, despairing.

His aura was now weak, unable to resist.

Without the phoenix blood, his emotions were in turmoil, filled with fear, trembling, and desperation.

"Save me!!"

He turned to flee, screaming for help, all dignity lost.

His cries summoned two beams of cold light towards Li Tiangang, almost instantly.

But Li Tiangang did not dodge, nor did he glance at them. He transformed into a giant roc, quickly closing the gap on Feng Shanjun.

"Die!!"

Ignoring the attacks, Li Tiangang's blade slashed down.

Boom! The divine power on the blade decapitated Feng Shanjun.

A fiery bird-like soul escaped, fleeing in terror, but Li Tiangang's hand reached out, a divine hand grasping it.

"No, spare me…"

Feng Shanjun begged.

But Li Tiangang ignored him, tightening his grip.

The soul's screams were cut short, and a once mighty Reverse Fate realm demon king perished.

Li Tiangang had realized that this Reverse Fate demon king no longer had a chance for another life, otherwise he wouldn't have fought so desperately.

So, he took the chance to kill him, ensuring no escape.

Boom, boom!

Two more attacks struck Li Tiangang as he killed Feng Shanjun, sending him crashing to the ground.

The scorching earth shattered, but Li Tiangang quickly rose, returning to the sky, seeing two figures by Feng Shanjun's corpse.

"Damn it!"

Seeing Feng Shanjun dead, the newcomers were furious.

They wore peculiar robes, wrapped in vine-like patterns, strange in style.

Li Tiangang recognized them at a glance—beings from the Void Realm.

"Are you Void Realm beings entering the world?"

Li Tiangang's eyes were icy. He had detected traces of Dragon Gate and the Sacred Palace but hadn't expected the reclusive Void Realm to join in.

This was one of the top demon factions, but they had remained hidden for centuries, maintaining good relations with the Great Yu Dynasty, never interfering.

Now, Li Tiangang realized the dynasty was truly in danger!

The Void Realm's emergence was not just a threat to Liangzhou but a sign of greater peril.

For years, the Li family and other military households had fought relentlessly, with many brothers falling. Compared to the peace of centuries past, these were turbulent times.

The increased activity of surrounding demons and now the Void Realm's emergence marked a new level of crisis.

Li Tiangang gripped his divine blade tighter, his eyes blazing. If chaos was coming, he would restore order and bring the world back to its rightful path!

"Li Tiangang!"

The two Void Realm demon kings, an old man and a young man, glared coldly at Li Tiangang, their eyes filled with fury but also caution.

Feng Shanjun had been a wild demon king, joining their coalition for revenge. They had let him take the lead, but now he was dead!

Their intelligence had been flawed. Li Tiangang was a Four Abilities realm, his Dao Heart power allowing him to kill beyond his level—a terrifying capability.

"Four Abilities realm, no wonder you stepped out!"

"Fine, no matter your realm or secrets, today you die!"

The two Void Realm kings didn't attack immediately, instead calling for reinforcements.

Li Tiangang had killed Feng Shanjun, and though the exact methods were unknown, caution was needed. Surrounding and overwhelming him was the safest strategy.

Seeing their hesitation, Li Tiangang quickly returned to the formation.

"Too late!"

The two demon kings acted swiftly. The old man released a gray light that enveloped the formation and Li Tiangang, forming a gray mist.

In the mist, senses were lost, directions unclear.

Realizing this, Li Tiangang closed his eyes, channeling his power into his arms, slashing with his divine blade.

The fiery blade cut through the mist, creating a gap, but not towards the formation.

He sensed the deception, knowing he was misled.

"Order in all things, clear my path!"

Li Tiangang roared, divine light bursting from his chest. Using his heart's eye, he found the path, cutting a channel through the mist.

Seeing the formation, he swiftly exchanged places with the air outside, teleporting inside.

Holding the formation's command token, he re-entered.

"Stop him!!"

The young demon king's sword missed, striking the formation, causing ripples.

Inside, the Yuanzi Battalion withstood the shock, feeling the impact.

"General!"

Yu Xuan rushed over. Seeing Li Tiangang's powerful aura, he was not surprised, knowing Li Tiangang had reached the Four Abilities realm. Urgently, he reported: "The border is under heavy attack from demon tides, led by three demon kings. The formation is near breaking!"

"How many?"

Li Tiangang asked, adjusting his state, recovering his strength.

He knew a fierce battle was ahead, needing every moment to recuperate.

"Three!"

Yu Xuan replied quickly: "One from Dragon Gate, one from Sacred Palace, and one from Void Realm. Including the two here…"

He glanced outside the formation.

The golden formation glowed, the two Void Realm kings furiously attacking, causing ripples.

Additionally, their earlier call had brought two more demon kings, now revealed in black armor, tearing off their cloaks.

They wore golden, crude-patterned armor, distinctly demonic.

"Li Tiangang, get out here!"

"Hiding in there won't save you!"

"When we break in, you die first!"

The demon kings attacked and cursed Li Tiangang.

Killing Feng Shanjun right in front of them might not have meant much in terms of personal loss, but it certainly was an affront to their dignity.

Li Tiangang's face was grim. He had anticipated a major catastrophe in Liangzhou but didn't expect so many demon kings from Dragon Gate to appear, let alone the involvement of the Void Realm. The sheer number of demon kings was beyond his expectations.

These creatures weren't planning a slow war of attrition like in Yanbei; they intended to launch a swift assault on Liangzhou!

"Quick, form battle formations and fully guard the formation!"

"Activate the formation spirits!"

Li Tiangang swiftly issued orders.

Commands were sent along with signal fires, spreading across the entire defense line.

On the inner side of the Blackstone Great Wall defense line, countless arrows were shot into the demon tide. Countless demon repelling oil and rolling stones were hurled by catapults through the formation, causing massive casualties among the demons.

But these demons, like locusts and ants, swarmed densely, obscuring the horizon.

The gaps made by the attacks were quickly filled.

The ground was black with the masses of demons, the sky swarming with them, forming a black cloud covering the defense line.

The light of day was blocked, leaving only a dim glow and the deafening, earth-shaking roars and howls of the demons outside the formation.

These sharp, piercing howls were enough to make even seasoned soldiers feel fear.

If not for the heart-protecting military formation and the bolstered morale, many would have already buckled under the intimidating spectacle.

The armies stationed along the border quickly mobilized, manning the walls and rapidly rotating positions, archers loosing volleys until their bows nearly smoked from the friction.

With the signal fires' orders, the formation was activated. Heavily armored soldiers of the Yuanzi Battalion spread out, dispersing along the entire defense line.

The number of Yuanzi Battalion soldiers was vast. Initially disguised in other armors, they blended in, making the Tianji Hall's surveillance show only fifty thousand Yuanzi soldiers. In reality, Li Tiangang had secretly gathered two hundred thousand!

Now, these hidden Yuanzi Battalion soldiers donned the most elite armor of the Li family, with each set of armor costing a fortune.

Two hundred thousand Yuanzi Battalion troops were enough to sweep through the nests of the Three Immortals realm demons without any resistance.

The total number of Yuanzi Battalion troops in the Li family was one million!

After years of war in Yanbei, countless lives were lost, leaving just over seven hundred thousand.

Li Tiangang had now summoned two hundred thousand, fully prepared.

The remaining five hundred thousand were split, with three hundred thousand stationed in Yanbei and two hundred thousand permanently guarding Qingzhou.