War God Long Ao

He held nothing back.

As the esteemed daughter of the City Lord's Mansion, when had Liu Ji ever been so humiliated?

Before Liu Ji could fly into a rage, Long Yulang sneered from the side. "Miss Liu, why waste your breath on this trash? In a year, I will personally teach this trash a lesson for you."

"Trash will always be trash. He even has to wait a year to challenge someone. I truly don't know what the point is of a person like him living in this world," Liu Ji mocked without restraint, wishing everyone knew the boy before her was a piece of trash.

"In that case, we don't need to wait a year. Long Yulang, I challenge you now! Do you dare to fight?"

Challenging Long Yulang?

Everyone was stunned by the boy's sudden challenge. Their shock quickly gave way to scorn and contempt. 'This piece of trash dares to challenge Long Yulang? How is that any different from suicide?'

"Ao'Er, don't be rash."

"Father, I know what I'm doing." Keeping his gaze locked on Long Yulang, Long Ao repeated his question, "I am officially challenging you, Long Yulang. Do you dare to accept?"

"Hahaha, why wouldn't I dare? I'd love to see just how a piece of trash like you plans on challenging me." As if they'd just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world, not just Long Yulang, but the entire crowd erupted in laughter, their gazes dripping with scorn as they stared at Long Ao.

"Has this piece of trash lost his mind? How dare he challenge Long Yulang."

"That's why he's trash. Now we've got a good show to watch."

"Long Ao, since you're the one challenging me, let me be blunt. Fists have no eyes and blades have no mercy. If I accidentally kill you during our fight, I won't be held responsible."

Both the Thundercloud City Long Family and the Red Fire Town Long Family were branches of the Long Clan. As a genius disciple of the clan, Long Yulang naturally didn't want people saying he was a bully picking on his weaker cousins from the Red Fire Town Long Family.

Long Ao wasn't a fool; he understood the implication. "This will be a battle to the death," he said coolly. "Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor by the heavens."

"A fine 'life and death are determined by fate.' I'll be waiting for you outside." With that, Long Yulang turned and strode away.

Everyone rushed out, eager to see how the Long Family's genius would slaughter the trash. Long Ao, who was last to leave, was stopped by Long Yi and Mu Lin. Their voices laced with extreme worry, they said, "Ao'Er, Long Yulang is an Innate Martial Artist! With your current strength, how could you possibly be a match for him?"

"Father, there are some things a man must do, even knowing they seem impossible. Don't worry. I'll be fine."

Worry was still written all over Mu Lin and Long Yi's faces as they watched their son's retreating figure. But they both knew their son's character well—once he made a decision, it was nearly impossible to change his mind.

「Outside the Pill Alliance.」

A dense crowd had formed, leaving only a clearing in the middle.

In the clearing, Long Yulang and Long Ao stood facing each other. Long Yulang's eyes were filled with ridicule and contempt. To an Innate Martial Artist, a Postnatal Martial Artist was nothing but a joke.

"Three moves. I'll kill you in three moves."

No one was surprised by Long Yulang's arrogance; it seemed only natural. He was the Long Family's supreme genius, having broken through to the Innate Realm at such a young age. Long Ao, on the other hand, was a complete piece of trash who hadn't been able to condense his Inner Strength in ten years. For such a failure to challenge Long Yulang... in everyone's eyes, it was nothing short of suicide.

Long Ao remained silent. His challenge to Long Yulang wasn't an impulsive act. Beforehand, he had taken the three Spirit Gathering Pills he had just finished refining.

Long Ao's intention was simple: he wanted to use the life-or-death pressure of this battle to force a breakthrough into the Innate Realm.

'Everything hinges on this one battle. If I win, I break through to the Innate Realm. If I lose, I forfeit my life.' But in the end, Long Ao had still chosen to fight. He was fully confident that he could break through within a year anyway, but a year felt far too long to wait.

The crowd grew, forming several layers around the Pill Alliance. Just then, Liu Ji deliberately raised her voice. "Long Ao, if you get on your knees and apologize to Brother Long right now, perhaps he'll be magnanimous enough to forgive you. Otherwise, once he kills you, you won't even have the chance to regret it!"

'Long Ao knew Liu Ji wasn't concerned for him; she just wanted to humiliate him in front of everyone. A woman like that, with a heart as venomous as a viper's... what did it matter how beautiful she was on the outside?'

With a cold snort, Long Ao replied coolly, "And if I win, you can consider making a guest appearance at the Yihong Courtyard."

"You...!"

Waving a dismissive hand, Long Yulang said, "Miss Liu, why lower yourself to a war of words with him? Soon, I'll make him kneel before you and beg for forgiveness."

"Enough nonsense." Long Ao summoned the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber from his Dragon Seal Space. 'No matter what,' he thought, 'my opponent is an Innate Martial Artist. If I don't go all out, I won't stand a chance.'

"Brother Long, what weapon will you use?"

"I don't need one." Long Yulang's face was a mask of arrogance. In his view, defeating his opponent bare-handed would be effortless. There was simply no comparison between a Postnatal and an Innate Martial Artist; it was like the difference between heaven and earth.

"First move."

Long Yulang moved. His movements seemed slow but were deceptively fast. In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Long Ao, his right hand shaped into a palm strike that he sent out gently.

Innate Martial Artists act as conduits, drawing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into their bodies to form Spiritual Power. Once their Innate Realm stabilizes, they can wield this Spiritual Power in combat, even infusing it into their weapons to create what is known as Sword Qi, Sword Aura, and the like.

Therefore, while Long Yulang's palm strike looked ordinary, it was actually imbued with Spiritual Power.

Long Ao, of course, knew this. Not daring to be the least bit careless, he swept out with the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, unleashing a chilling Sword Aura.

"Sword Aura?" Long Yulang seemed a little surprised. After all, a Postnatal Martial Artist shouldn't be able to produce Sword Qi or Sword Aura. But his surprise was fleeting, as he quickly understood what was happening.

Though he didn't know how Long Ao had managed it, Long Yulang was one hundred percent certain that this Sword Aura was fundamentally different from the Sword Qi and Sword Aura produced by an Innate Martial Artist. The reason was simple: his opponent had no Spiritual Power.

A Sword Aura without Spiritual Power was just an empty shell, completely lacking in lethal force. Only an Innate Martial Artist would dare to block a Sword Aura with their bare palm. PENG! Sparks flew as his palm collided with the Sword Aura. But an Innate Martial Artist was an Innate Martial Artist, after all. The enhancement from Spiritual Power alone put them on a level that no Postnatal Martial Artist could ever hope to match.

Dispersing the Sword Aura with a single palm, Long Yulang pressed his advantage, unleashing a rapid series of palm strikes. This was the Long Family's Innate-level Martial Art: the Cloud-Dispelling Palm.