War God Long Ao

'If he dares to come, I dare to kill him.'

Such arrogance. But Liu Mu knew the young man had the power to back it up.

"Long Ao, I've spoiled my daughter since she was a child, so she's young and doesn't know any better. If she has offended you in any way, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive her."

With the City Lord putting it that way, what else could Long Ao say?

With a small smile, Long Ao said, "It's nothing."

After chatting with Liu Mu for a while, Long Ao got up to take his leave. He had finally learned from the City Lord that the Innate Realm was further divided into Hundred Scattered Heaven and One-Line Heaven. His most urgent task now was to force all the Spiritual Power in his body to converge into a single point within his Dantian.

Not long after leaving the City Lord's Mansion, a strange expression came over Long Ao's face. He immediately quickened his pace. Instead of heading toward his family's estate, he turned and walked toward a secluded garbage pile.

By the garbage pile.

"You've followed me all this way. Come out."

"Heh heh heh… I didn't expect you to sense my presence. It seems you're not half bad." Following the sinister chuckle, a figure dressed in black slowly emerged from the shadows nearby. He was completely cloaked, revealing only a pair of ice-cold eyes.

'What a powerful aura.' Long Ao didn't even need to guess; he could clearly sense it. The man in black who had suddenly appeared was not just an Innate Martial Artist, but a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist.

"Who are you?"

"The one who's here to kill you."

"Who sent you?"

"I won't tell you." A powerful Killing Intent emanated from the man in black, and his eyes grew several shades colder. The power of a One-Line Heaven was far beyond what a Hundred Scattered Heaven could ever hope to match.

Long Ao didn't ask any more questions. He knew perfectly well that the man had tracked him for one reason only: to kill him. That being the case, further words were useless.

He channeled all the power in his body into his hands, his grip tightening on the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. A powerful battle intent surged forth, blanketing the area. The man in black seemed somewhat surprised, but as a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist, he didn't even deign to take Long Ao seriously.

"To have just broken through to Hundred Scattered Heaven and possess such battle intent is already quite good, but you must die today."

The man in black seemed unwilling to waste any more time and prepared to end the fight quickly. A terrifying aura pressed down on Long Ao as the assassin, wielding a black Sharp Sword, thrust it forward viciously.

The Sword Qi appeared slow, but it was in fact incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, one stream of Sword Qi followed another, stacking layer upon layer until its power was unstoppable.

Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques, First Form: Netherworld Nine-Link Strike! The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber shot out, its blood-red Sword Aura clashing violently against the Sword Qi. The two auras intertwined, sending sparks flying in all directions.

The blood-red Sword Aura and the ice-cold Sword Qi collided, releasing a terrifying blast of energy. But a Hundred Scattered Heaven was still just a Hundred Scattered Heaven, no match for a One-Line Heaven. Thrown back by the backlash, Long Ao stumbled back three steps before he could steady himself.

Even so, Long Ao's strength far exceeded the assassin's expectations. 'A Hundred Scattered Heaven actually withstood my attack?' If he weren't experiencing it firsthand, he would have refused to believe it, even on pain of death.

"Your talent and potential are both top-tier. If you weren't about to be Fallen, your future would surely be bright. But you won't get the chance." The Killing Intent surging from the man in black intensified. He concentrated his power to a single point and, wielding his black Sharp Sword, executed the Innate Martial Skill, Ghost Shadow Sword Technique.

A blur of sword-shadows, as unpredictable as a phantom.

'I can't be careless for even a second. He's a One-Line Heaven Master. One slip-up, and his Sword Qi will cut me down.' Because of this, Long Ao swung the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber again, one strike after another. Netherworld Nine-Link Strike! Nine streams of blood-red Sword Aura instantly superimposed, merging into a single, pillar-like Sword Aura that cleaved through the air.

The pillar-like Sword Aura struck like a bolt from the blue, but the assassin was too fast. His Ghost Shadow Sword Technique cast a net of sword-shadows that instantly enveloped the attack. With a single step, he was in front of Long Ao, a glint of ice in his eyes as he said coldly, "You are not worthy of this saber. Give it to me."

The man in black was no fool; he knew the saber in his opponent's hands was a Treasure. Overcome with greed, he grabbed the blade of the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber with his bare hand. The assassin was far too arrogant. In his mind, an opponent of Long Ao's strength couldn't harm him, even with a Treasure in hand.

Just like that, the assassin's expression changed drastically, and he shrieked, "Brat, stop! Or I'll have you torn limb from limb!"

Long Ao himself was a bit surprised, but he instantly understood what was happening. The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber was a weapon that absorbed Essence Blood. Back in the Thundercloud Forest, when he had first encountered the saber, it had been simultaneously absorbing the Essence Blood of dozens of Spirit Beasts.

He was ecstatic. 'My luck isn't half bad! I thought I was a dead man for sure, but I never expected him to be unlucky enough to grab the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber of all things.'

He channeled a continuous stream of his Spiritual Power into the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. The more Spiritual Power he poured in, the faster the saber absorbed the assassin's Essence Blood, until it reached a frenzied pace.

Giving the man in black no chance to resist, in just a few short minutes, every last drop of Essence Blood in his body was drained clean by the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber.

Soul-Searching Technique. Long Ao certainly wasn't going to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The assassin was a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist, after all. Once refined into a Soul Slave, he would be a great help in the future. At the very least, he wouldn't be so passive the next time he faced a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist.

He handed the assassin's soul over to Long Fu. In an instant, Long Ao learned the man's identity. He was Gui Lie, a powerful Martial Artist and an assassin for the Pill Alliance. He had been hired by "the fatty" to assassinate Long Ao. Unfortunately for him, his plan backfired spectacularly; not only did he fail, but he also had his Essence Blood drained by the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber and died a miserable death.

After a quick search of the body, Long Ao found no Treasures, only a few Gold Cards. He used his spiritual sense to check the amount of Gold Coins on the cards, and though he had braced himself, the number still gave him a shock.

'Three hundred million Gold Coins?'

Long Ao knew exactly what three hundred million Gold Coins represented. His family had previously gone to great lengths just to scrape together a little over five million. Three hundred million… forget his own family, even the three great families of Thundercloud City would find it difficult to produce such a sum in a short amount of time.

Tucking the Gold Cards away, Long Ao connected his soul to the Dragon Seal and entered the Dragon Seal Space.

"Long Fu, how long will it take to refine the Soul Slave?"

"Master, the soul you just gave me is a bit too low in strength. It will take about a day to refine it into a Soul Slave."

'Too low?' Long Ao was surprised to hear Long Fu's assessment. The assassin was a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist, yet in Long Fu's eyes, that was considered low-strength?