Follow the path of Dao from infancy
Chapter 176: Chapter 9: Not a Blade of Grass Left (Supplementary Update for 10th-11th, Combined 7K Words)

While roasting the monster's fangs with his palm, Li Hao asked Li Hongzhuang,

"You know the location of the lairs of the Great Demons that attacked tonight, don't you?"

"Hm?"

Li Hongzhuang paused slightly, then said, "What, do you actually intend to take out their lairs?"

"Is there a problem?"

Li Hao asked, puzzled.

"..."

Li Hongzhuang had nothing to say, of course, there was no problem. If it were possible to destroy them, not only would he want to go personally, but she would also like to flatten them.

In the past, when she was stationed here, she couldn't leave, otherwise, once the demons invaded and she was not there to protect them, the soldiers, even with the help of several deputy generals, would not be able to withstand attacks from the three Immortal Great Demons.

After all, Cangya City had been breached before, and there were no defensive Array walls left, leaving it completely defenseless. The divine might of just the three Immortal Great Demons was enough for the army to handle.

"You've just arrived, and I haven't had the chance to tell you about the demon forces outside Heavenly Gate Pass," she said.

Li Hongzhuang began drawing on the sandy ground in front of the campfire with her sword.

She had not intended to discuss this with Li Hao since he was just a child.

From the information she had received from Li He, she already knew that her Seventh Brother was planning to abandon Heavenly Gate Pass. After all, the reinforcements sent over the years had been dwindling, and no one bothered to repair the broken walls.

If it weren't for the fact that this was Dayu territory, land that their ancestors of the Li Family had opened up, they wouldn't have defended this place to death.

Sending this child over for what they called a handover was merely a way of telling them that it was fine to give up this place.

Incidentally, they wanted this genius son, who had conflicts with her, to lower his head and experience the peril of the demons.

Only, she was quite sure her Seventh Brother hadn't anticipated that on just the first night of his arrival, her monstrous child would single-handedly slay two of the Immortal Great Demons that had plagued this place for years!

This battle achievement, if discussed at other Frontier Passes for rewards and promotions, would probably warrant a first-class special merit, and if he didn't already hold a noble title, he could be directly crowned as a third-class earl!

"The three demons you saw tonight, each belongs to a mountain territory ruled by a Demon King," she said.

Li Hongzhuang drew a circle with her sword: "This is our Cangya City."

As she said this, she laughed self-deprecatingly; there was nothing left around them that could be called a "city."

"Three thousand miles to the east from here is the remote town of Northern Cold Country," she said.

"Between them, right here, there is a mountain range, the first stronghold of the demon forces outside the territory."

Li Hongzhuang drew a small circle, her expression growing solemn:

"That is Longshan Taoist Temple, inhabited by a ten thousand-year-old True Dragon that calls itself the Dragon Lord!"

"It's a Great Demon from the Four Stands Realm!"

Hearing her words, Li Hao's eyes narrowed slightly, staring at the circle in front of the sword tip.

"This is forbidden territory; no matter what happens, do not set foot here," she said seriously. "Under normal circumstances, the Dragon Lord will not leave Longshan Taoist Temple, nor will it attack Heavenly Gate Pass because if it does come, it would be violating our territory!"

Li Hao nodded slightly, recalling the conversations he'd had with his Second Uncle while fishing.

These Great Demons from outside the Frontier Passes didn't dare to invade recklessly.

Why not?

The answer was simple: they had all been personally warned by the elder generation of each Divine General Mansion.

It was like the ancient treaty agreement signed between Dayu and the Demon Kings of the Four Stands Realm.

Don't listen?

Either the older generation of the Divine General Mansion would take action, or, it would be the Immortal from Gan Tao Palace.

They dared not disobey.

This majestic and ancient royal dynasty, though now aged, still retained a deterrent force and presence that commanded respect in all directions.

As for why they only issued a warning and didn't directly slay the Great Demons, that's another matter.

The number of these Great Demons is not small, they are just not united. If warned individually, they would remain wary, but if a mass slaughter occurred, agitating the rest who might band together in response, it could cause heavy casualties for Dayu.

Ultimately, it comes down to Dayu no longer having the power to completely exterminate all surrounding demons.

After all, among these demons, some have become particularly troublesome to handle.

The Immortal of Gan Tao Palace spends most of the year seated in the Yuzhou Imperial Capital and seldom steps out, wary of some demons that might sneak in and launch an attack on the Imperial Capital!

At this moment, Li Hongzhuang reiterated the rules and agreements regarding trespassing of the Four Stands Realm's Demon Kings to Li Hao, and then said:

"Even though these Four Stands Realm Demon Kings seem obedient and don't dare to invade rashly, the military strength of our dynasty is fading, and Mo River has tied up the resources of Tianzhao Divine General Mansion for seven to eight hundred years, making these demons grow restless again."

"They themselves do not dare to take risks easily, fearing retaliation and execution, but they frequently condone other demons under their command to probe our defenses."

"Thus, even if the imperial court asks, it's just a pointless verbal dispute, so we have to endure it!"

Li Hao nodded, continuing to listen.

He had previously asked his Second Uncle why the Four Stands Realm Great Demons didn't dare to invade and suggested the older generation could be stationed at the Frontier Passes for stability.

However, the reply he got was that there weren't many elders in the Four Stands Realm.

Moreover, apart from these like-registered old Demon Kings that had been warned, every few or a dozen years, there would still spontaneously appear other Four Stands Realm Demon Kings.

They came from far-off places or cultivated in the deep mountains and forests, unfamiliar with Dayu.

When they wandered into Dayu territory, they often acted unrestrainedly, some rampaging through cities and lands, and if not stopped in time, were even capable of devouring half a state.

The elders needed to deal with these demons, and for those who had already violated the territory and caused mass casualties, there was no point in warnings—they had to be executed to set an example, leading to inevitable great battles.