The Name of Eternity.

Chapter 196 Strange Rules

Li Hao had entered the Fengshan Death River in Tan Palace before, but there was no change in his body. The Death River was just a group of villagers who looked normal but had actually died long ago. As long as they were all liberated, the Death River could be destroyed.

Now, you are back to your childhood?

No wonder I felt my strength was disappearing, as if I was being deprived of something.

Is this the special feature of the Youdu-class Dead River?

Li Hao was a little frightened. His brain was racing with thoughts and he actually felt sleepy. He soon couldn't hold on and fell asleep.

……

When Li Hao woke up again, he saw that his hands and feet were pink and tender. He was lying on an unfamiliar bed, covered with a soft blanket.

He was wearing a bellyband and looked like he was not just born, but was several months old.

It wasn't a dream before... Li Hao finally became sure that he was still in the River of the Dead, but what was wrong with his body? He felt as if he could get up.

Soon, Li Hao put his idea into action and actually turned over and crawled on the bed.

This is definitely not something a newborn baby can do!

"I think I've had several months..."

Li Hao murmured, but the words came out of his lips as a babbling "lulululu".

The vocal cords have not yet developed.

But there is no doubt that there is something wrong with the flow of time here.

I'm just taking a nap. Although I like to sleep in, I won't be so lazy that I can't stay awake for several months, right?

Li Hao stopped crawling, touched his chin with his little hand, and sat on the bed to think.

At this moment, a golden word appeared before his eyes:
[Growth] Mission progress: 2.3%.

Li Hao was surprised. Has it progressed to 2.3 already?
If I follow the task requirements and have to live to the age of eighteen, does that mean I have only lived for five months now?
Five months passed in the blink of an eye... Li Hao felt that if he slept a few more times, it would soon be eighteen years later.

By then, the main quest will probably be started.

Guarding Dragon City, this is the Dragon City Death River... Li Hao's eyes flickered, and he felt that he should be fully prepared before he turned eighteen.

This is the Youdu-level Death River, which is by no means simple. Even those at the Taiping Dao realm only have the ability to "possibly" pass it, which shows how dangerous it is.

With a creak, the door was suddenly pushed open.

A tall young man dressed in brocade clothes walked in. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes and looked extraordinarily handsome.

When he saw Li Hao, who was about to lie down from a sitting position, his originally solemn face suddenly showed a look of relief, and he whispered, "Little mouse?"

Li Hao was about to lie down and pretend to rest, but he was stunned when he heard the words. The only one who knew his nickname and entered the Death River was the Fourth Master.

He looked up at the other person in surprise and immediately saw that he was somewhat similar to the elderly Li Xiaoran he had seen before:
"Lulue (Fourth Master)?"

"Still can't speak clearly? That's right, then I'll tell you what to do. If you're a little mouse, just raise your hand."

Li Xiaoran, who looked like a young man, said in a low voice.

Li Hao raised his hand immediately.

Seeing this, Li Xiaoran basically confirmed Li Hao's identity. He smiled softly and said:
"I was worried that you would appear somewhere else, but you turned out to be in the God General's Mansion, which saved me the trouble of looking for you. I was wondering why a Juro suddenly appeared, and I guessed it might be you, and it turned out to be..."

"It must be the Li family blood in your body that caused my eldest brother's obsession to bring you into his lineage."

Seeing Li Hao's helpless look, Li Xiaoran chuckled, then his expression became slightly serious and said:

"I don't know if you've ever been to the Dead River, but it doesn't matter. This is a Netherworld-level Dead River, which is very different from the Dead River you know. There are special rules here!"

"For example, depriving us of our original bodies and powers is one of the rules."

"The speed of time here is also one of the special rules. Don't lose consciousness easily. When you sleep or are unconscious, time will speed up, but your body will only grow according to my eldest brother's cognition, and there will be no other changes!"

"For example, if you behave just like a normal person in my eldest brother's eyes, it will take more than ten years for you to sleep a few more times. By then, your cultivation level will only reach the level estimated by my eldest brother, and it is very likely that you will only be at the Heavenly Man Realm at most!"

"And the Heavenly Man Realm will be no different from cannon fodder in the Dragon City War. They will almost certainly die!"

He knew that Li Hao couldn't speak, but his expression became more and more serious as he spoke:
"Once you die here in this body, you will really die. Your original body will disappear and become the nutrients of the Dead River. Even your own soul will be imprisoned by this Dead River and you will not be able to reincarnate!"

Li Hao felt a chill in his heart. He was in the form of a baby now. If he died, would he really die?

No wonder this Youdu-level Death River is so dangerous. Which strong man can endure such a huge change in realm?

"Even if you are at the Fate-Defying Realm, you cannot survive here, unless you cultivate to that level. But I don't give you much time. According to my own age, it will be about 18 years later."

"When you are eighteen, it will be time for the Dragon Gate siege!"

Li Xiaoran took a deep breath and whispered, "You must grow up before that time and strive to cultivate to your original realm, or even higher, the better."

He thought of the power that Li Hao had unleashed when he broke free from the Candle Fire Divine Dao Domain, and felt a little comforted, but his expression did not relax. He said:

"This Dragon City was once the most glorious city in Yanbei. It was guarded by my Li family for a thousand years. Hundreds of years ago, an ancestor angrily killed a dragon demon king, dismembered it in Dragon City, and hung its dragon head on a wall of Dragon City. Since then, the city has been renamed Dragon City!"

"But this incident also angered the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan secretly planned and accumulated strength. Decades ago, when this Dragon City was guarded by my eldest brother, the Dragon Clan seized the opportunity and broke through the city gate."

"That battle was a horrific one, with countless casualties, and most of the royal reinforcements were killed in the battle!"

Li Xiaoran's eyes were deep and solemn, and he said: "Therefore, when you are eighteen years old, the battle you will face will be extremely dangerous, but fortunately this time we can take care of each other. If we really can't solve it, I have other ways to save my life!"

"However, it would be even better if it could be solved at the same time."

He guarded the Mu River in order to help his elder brother defend Dragon City and free him.

Li Hao nodded slightly. Although he had many questions, he couldn't speak at the moment. He could only wait until he could speak again. "Don't think that cultivation is easy."

Li Xiaoran saw Li Hao's calm expression and said solemnly: "The special rules of this Dead River will interfere with your original understanding of the Dao realm. Therefore, you are equivalent to practicing and comprehending again. You can try to recall your original skills now, and you will understand."

Li Hao was stunned. He wanted to say that cultivation was not difficult, especially for someone like Li Xiaoran. It was like the reincarnation of a strong man. With the original skills he had mastered, he would be able to soar into the sky very quickly. In this way, passing the Dead River did not seem that difficult.

Hearing Li Xiaoran's words at this moment, Li Hao immediately began to recall his insights on swordsmanship, chess, etc.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t want to think about it, but when his thoughts turned to those aspects, Li Hao felt like he was blocked by a barrier and couldn’t really remember it.

This feels so weird!
I clearly know that I can use a sword, but when I try to recall it, I forget how to hold it!

And no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t remember it!

It’s like graduating from the college entrance examination. You know that you have studied and did very well in the exam. But when you think about it carefully, you find that you have completely forgotten what was written on which page of the textbook!
I can’t even remember the questions for the college entrance examination!

Doesn't this mean I've become a college student? !

Li Hao was shocked.

In this case, he has to practice again?
Seeing the shock on Li Hao's face, Li Xiaoran immediately knew that Li Hao had tried it. He smiled slightly and whispered:
"Don't panic. In the early stages, you will need to practice on your own. But as your practice reaches a higher level, the obstacles to you from this special rule will decrease. Then you will slowly be able to comprehend some of the original realms of Tao."

"In other words, the faster you cultivate on your own, the more of your previously sealed cultivation memories will leak out, and your cultivation speed will increase again later!"

"Otherwise, if we really practice again, in just a dozen years, not counting the time acceleration caused by sleeping in the middle, being able to reach the Heavenly Man Realm would already be the limit, and this Dead River would become a place with no solution."

Li Hao breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this, and his mind turned, wondering if he could continue to absorb experience through the panel here.

With an idea in his mind, he called out the panel.

The fonts in front of my eyes jumped and the panel really appeared.

Li Hao was surprised, but dumbfounded again in the next moment. This panel was cleaner than his face, just like when he first traveled through time.

"Could it be that my original faceplate, which was in my original body, is now in this new body?"

Li Hao thought in his heart that this dead river and the panel were both strange and difficult to explain things, and it would be impossible to come up with a conclusion when they were put together.

But the panel was still there, which made him secretly relieved.

Without the panel, he would not become a waste, but his speed of cultivation on his own might not be that fast.

After all, he achieved this ultimate state of being a celestial being entirely through his own perception, which shows that his comprehension of martial arts is quite good.

"Also, don't leave the God General's Mansion at night. Demons may attack you at any time."

Li Xiaoran reminded again: "Although this is the God General's Mansion, it is in Dragon City. Most of the things in this Dead River are evolved from my eldest brother's obsession, so there will be some incredible current situations. You don't have to be too surprised when you see them."

"It's not safe in Dragon City. I will come to visit you often. You can sleep a few more times first, and quickly progress to the time when you can build your foundation and refine your body, and then embark on the path of cultivation."

"You don't have to worry. When you fast forward in your sleep, the time on my end is normal. I will go by day by day, but you will feel that it has been several months in the blink of an eye."

Li Hao nodded. This Fourth Master explained many things in great detail, which showed that he was a thoughtful person.

Li Xiaoran gave Li Hao a few more instructions, let him rest, and left the room.

After he left, Li Hao thought for a moment and wanted to find a chessboard, brushes and ink, etc. The early experience of painting was accumulated quickly. This Dead River was not as safe as the real courtyard outside, so he should start with painting and writing poetry.

But to write poetry you at least need to be able to speak first.

Soon, Li Hao discovered that he couldn't even walk.

With a wry smile, Li Hao lay down, ready to sleep until he could walk.

……

When Li Hao opened his eyes again from his deep sleep, he immediately felt that his body had regained a lot of energy and he became stronger.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he heard knocking sounds. He looked up and saw warm sunlight shining over him. He saw a courtyard here.

Judging from the construction of the courtyard, it is the Qinglian Courtyard where the grandma lived.

It was also in that courtyard that he broke off relations with his so-called father.

Li Hao's eyes changed slightly. Now when he saw this yard again, his thoughts couldn't help but be drawn back for a moment, but he quickly restrained them in time.

Compared to the Qinglian Courtyard in reality, the walls here seem to be newer, and the sound of knocking can be heard from the courtyard.

Li Hao looked and saw four boys practicing fighting with each other in the yard, and the weapons they used were all made of wood.

Age ranges from three to seven years old.

He himself was lying in the arms of a noble lady, who was none other than the grandmother, Chen Hefang.

"Jiuluo, watch your brothers' training carefully. In the future, you must become strong like them and defend your country."

When Chen Hefang saw Li Hao waking up, she spoke softly and smiled, her face full of motherly tenderness.

Li Hao was slightly stunned, and the image of the grandmother who died outside the river emerged in his mind.

Six of the nine sons of the Li family died in the battle. The other party became a vegetarian and chanted Buddhist scriptures. His hair had already turned silver white. Later, he only hoped that his children would live a safe life.

Li Hao was silent for a moment, looking at the four boys in the field. The youngest of them was only about three years old, but he walked and stood very steadily. He was dancing with a stick beside him, and his eyes and eyebrows looked very lively and smart.

However, the three older children in the field were fighting with each other.

Duh!
A wooden sword was chopped down, and the older child pulled his hand back in pain, saying unhappily:
"Tian Gang, you are cheating again!"

(End of this chapter)