Follow the path of Dao from infancy Chapter 1827 Chapter 480: Human and Fiend Confrontation (Part 2)

"Go!"

With grief turning his eyes crimson, Wuyue roared out, fully aware that staying level-headed was vital right now.

These were battle-hardened Immortal Kings, far from the type to act recklessly. Any slip-up amid the chaos of war could doom not only themselves but their comrades as well.

Partings in life and death had turned routine long ago.

In a sudden burst, Shi Miao shattered the Ghost Witch Formation under the dragon claw, ripping away one of its limbs before spinning around and charging straight for Li Hao without a backward glance.

She understood clearly that, under these dire circumstances, Li Hao needed to be pulled from the fray.

Over at the dragon tail, Li Hao was directing its movements, locked in fierce struggle against yet another Yan Ghost Array. The nearing Ghost Witch Formations piled on crushing strain. He readied himself to deploy Time as a Blade, forging his personal domain.

Burning through five hundred years of time would boost him one rank, while five thousand years pushed him to the next.

Should he stake it all, devouring fifty thousand years of time could propel his cultivation straight to the Fourth Level of the Immortal King Realm!

At that point, leveraging his Double Realm—plus the fresh Void Sound Realm not yet fused in—if he threw caution to the winds, stacking all three realms together, he believed his fighting strength could rival the Sixth Level of the Immortal King Realm at minimum.

On top of that, drawing from the military formation's might, this Ghost Witch Formation wasn't beyond slaying.

As Li Hao steeled himself for the desperate clash, his Dao heart grew ever more refined, letting him sense the cosmic laws with sharper and more vivid insight.

Spotting Shi Miao dashing his way, Li Hao grasped her purpose in a flash and opened his mouth to respond, only for a dreadful presence to surge close, outstripping even the two Ghost Witch Formations.

Both Li Hao and Shi Miao whipped their heads around, catching sight of an Execution Ghost Array—the kind only the Heavenly Armor Department could challenge—barreling toward them.

Chains draped the Execution Ghost Array, along with saw blades and bony spikes, giving it a brutal, savage look that radiated bone-chilling dread.

"Damn it!"

Pale-faced, Shi Miao cursed; aside from that clash with the Supreme in the Southern Domain, this marked the second occasion she sensed utter doom closing in.

Shock hit Li Hao too, driving home the battlefield's ruthless grind.

Tackling the Yan Ghost Array already strained their military formation to the limit, proving grueling enough. The Ghost Witch Formation brought outright catastrophe, teetering on total ruin, but the Execution Ghost Array offered zero chance of escape!

Such was the nature of the battlefield—no tidy matchups of soldier against soldier or general against general. It pitted the weak against the mighty, where lowly troops might fall under a hail of arrows, swarmed by relentless foes, reduced to dust.

Li Hao realized that even if he sacrificed it all, fiercer threats would still arise to end him here. This starkly contrasted the prodigy trials he'd faced earlier. Maybe that's why the master dispatched them for these battlefield ordeals, thrusting them into the fray.

No fairness existed here, no righteousness—just raw brutality and the drive to survive no matter the price!

The Execution Ghost Array closed in swiftly, striking before Shi Miao could link up with Li Hao.

As the Execution Ghost Array's Realm Power wrapped around them, a suffocating force like an endless dark sea bore down, and Li Hao sensed this domain alone might pulverize every one of them.

Yet just as the Realm began to solidify, a rainbow light flared in Shi Miao's eyes, hinting at some ability on the verge of activation, while Li Hao geared up to unleash Time as a Blade and Extreme Dao Chaos. Then, another fearsome aura sliced through like a dagger, shattering the Execution Ghost Array's Realm.

Next, a power scooped up Li Hao and Shi Miao, roaring with draconic fury, yanking them clear of the Execution Ghost Array's reach.

In a blink, Li Hao and the rest stood once more on the city wall. Though still a hotbed of conflict, this spot offered brief respite.

Encircling them loomed an Ancestor Dragon, forged by seven imposing figures.

Recognizing the attire of those seven, Long Ying and the others froze in shock, then gaped wide: "City Lord's trusted aide team?"

To their astonishment, aid arrived from the City Lord's inner circle squad—one of the elite units in the city, rivaling even the Commander!

Keep in mind, the City Lord dwelled in the Quasi-Emperor Realm, and every member of that trusted aide team commanded the Seventh Level of the Immortal King Realm!

Their Dragon Formation held the power to battle even the Eighth Level of the Immortal King Realm.

"Shi Miao, Haotian?"

A figure within the Ancestor Dragon Formation eyed Li Hao and Shi Miao, verifying who they were.

Shi Miao responded sharply: "Who are you?"

"The City Lord orders that, with the fight turning desperate, we safeguard you as vital fire seeds. Both of you, come with us to the City Lord's Mansion—there's a teleportation array leading elsewhere."

The figure murmured gravely.

His declaration hit home for the group, leaving Long Ying and the rest with mixed feelings—envy mingled with grim realism—as they eyed Li Hao and Shi Miao.

After seeing how Li Hao and Shi Miao shone, they recognized these two stood apart from the grizzled Immortal Kings; their vast potential truly marked them as worthy fire seeds.

Troops from nearby military formations gawked at Li Hao and Shi Miao too, having sensed something special about them even before the battle ignited, but never dreaming they'd earn the City Lord's direct shield.

"The rest of you, steel yourselves for the final stand!"

With that, the figure turned to the others, his tone harsh like a command from the front lines, flatly declaring: "The Eastern Domain hangs by a thread—not only our Dragon Gate City, but all the True Realm's Ten Thousand Clans face extinction. Fight with your lives for your kin and heritage!"

Though his words lacked fiery zeal, they stabbed like thorns into every heart.

Hailing from the Eastern Domain themselves, retreat was no option, not with families waiting behind. Fleeing might spare their hides, but returning home would brand them cowards on history's disgrace list.

Better to shatter to pieces in battle, so long as their lineages survived—at least their spirit tablets could join the family heroes, honored by descendants forever!

"Go!"

Brushing aside the rest, the figure barked the order, then grabbed Li Hao and Shi Miao, brooking no argument, set on whisking them off.

Li Hao stood dazed, the whirlwind of events leaving him reeling; he yearned to remain, but a sidelong look showed the battlefield now swallowed by Ancient Demons, with the city's defenses crumbling fast.

"No second-guessing; you're no cowards—fire seeds carry heavier loads, carrying the spark of hope!"

As if reading Li Hao's mind, the figure added quietly.

Their gazes burned with the cold resolve of those embracing death.

Just as they pulled back from the wall, a monstrous pressure slammed in, trailed by a casual voice drawling indifferently:

"Who knew such tasty morsels were here—what's your rush?"

Clear and composed, that voice rang out, as a lithe Ancient Demon emerged from the void, clad in a robe woven from myriad Ancient Demons, her stance elegant yet her presence utterly horrifying.

Hearing it, Li Hao paused in stunned silence, struck by an odd sense of recognition.

The seven guardians around Li Hao paled instantly, one shoving him and Shi Miao to safety behind them while whispering urgently: "You two, bolt for the city heart—make for the City Lord's Mansion. More fire seeds await there besides you; get out now!"

With that, the seven shifted into the Ancestor Dragon Formation and surged forward.

Li Hao stared ahead, fixating on the massive Ancient Demon Army Formation, where the leading Ancient Demon's face on her brow struck a vague chord of familiarity.

Could it be her?

Li Hao reeled in disbelief.

At the same time, Mi Xueyao caught a whiff of some presence—familiar yet alien.

Surprise gripped her heart; her gaze swept the scene restlessly, landing on the youth shielded by the Ancestor Dragon Formation. Their eyes locked, both freezing in shock.

A recollection from centuries past bubbled up: Li Hao remembered the Ancient Demon Clan woman, stunned to find her here in the Eastern Domain as the enemy commander.

Mi Xueyao hadn't anticipated the youth who'd vanished from the Southern Domain would surface in the Eastern Domain—on this very battlefield no less—and in just hundreds of years, climb from True Immortal Realm to Immortal King Realm.

"Truly, he's among the Human Race's elite prodigies."

The notion flickered through Mi Xueyao's thoughts.

Killing a prime Human Race prodigy would rack up massive merits for sure.

Such geniuses often backed by mighty factions or even Immortal Emperors.

But the idea faded quick, replaced by a vivid image of a campfire feast, her long-dormant appetite twitching faintly then.

She remembered that heavenly culinary talent; if harnessed, it could skyrocket her status in this Eastern Domain conflict, turning her into the Ancient Demon Clan's standout youth!