War God Long Ao

"Brother Long, there's one more thing. The Beauty Pills and other Elixirs you refined have caused great dissatisfaction within the Pill Alliance, so you must be extremely careful of them making trouble for you."

"I understand."

Long Ao chatted with Liu Mu for a little while longer before getting up to leave.

Not far away, in a well-hidden spot behind the lotus pond, Liu Ji watched the figure disappear into the distance, her eyes cold and her face a mask of malice.

"Hmph. I'll make you understand the consequences of provoking me."

As it turned out, Liu Ji had received word the moment Long Ao entered the City Lord's Mansion. She had immediately spread the news, and the first person she notified was Long Ao's mortal enemy, Ye Hao.

After leaving the City Lord's Mansion, Long Ao didn't parade openly through Thundercloud City. Instead, he put on a simple disguise, found a modest inn, and settled in for the time being.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Long Ao gave a huge stretch after cultivating all night. He had just stepped out of the inn when he saw a group of six or seven people approaching. He recognized several of them—they were both old acquaintances and relatives: Mu Feng, Mu Yong, Mu Yihang, Mu Yihao, and Mu Yiyang of the Mu Family. As for the two remaining young men, they had grim expressions and radiated a powerful Innate Aura.

'Mu He? Mu Ji?'

Although he had never met the two young geniuses of the Mu Family, Long Ao recognized them instantly. 'Looks like they're here to cause trouble.'

"I never thought a piece of trash like you could make such a comeback. Long Ao, you're quite impressive."

"You're full of shit."

"You piece of trash, how dare you speak to our elder brother like that?"

"And why wouldn't I? Those who humiliate others must expect to be humiliated in return."

"'Those who humiliate others must expect to be humiliated in return?' Fine. In that case, I challenge you to a fair fight, right here and now. If you win, I'll steer clear of you from this day forward. How about it?"

Long Ao knew that if he didn't accept the challenge, the group before him would never let the matter drop. 'In that case, a fight it is.'

"Fine, I accept. But you're no match for me. Both of you should attack me together."

"Hahaha, you want to challenge our elder and second brothers at the same time?" Hearing Long Ao's words, everyone burst into derisive laughter, as if they'd just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

Mu He and Mu Ji waved their hands, silencing the others. There was no trace of mockery on their faces. After all, their opponent had killed both Long Yulang and Ye Gucheng; he couldn't have done that without genuine ability.

Everyone scattered, leaving only Long Ao, Mu He, and Mu Ji in the cleared space.

As the Mu Family's top geniuses, Mu He and Mu Ji knew their opponent's strength was not to be underestimated. Mu Ji might have been weaker than Long Yulang, but Mu He's power far surpassed Long Yulang's, and he was even stronger than Ye Gucheng.

Among the younger generation of Thundercloud City, only two people had made it onto the Hundred Battles Ranking. Mu He was one of them, ranked ninety-fifth—one spot higher than Ye Gucheng.

This was precisely why Mu He was so confident in challenging Long Ao. He was going to show everyone that ninety-fifth on the Hundred Battles Ranking was a world apart from ninety-sixth.

"Attack!"

Mu He and Mu Ji moved in unison, attacking him from the left and right. But Long Ao didn't unleash his One-Line Heaven power; his Hundred Scattered Heaven cultivation was more than enough to deal with them.

The three seemed to have a tacit understanding, as none of them drew a weapon. In the blink of an eye, they were locked in combat. They traded more than ten blows in an instant, but remained evenly matched.

As the saying goes, one can tell an expert by their first move.

The members of the Mu Family, who had been sneering just moments before, were now frozen in place. Only now did they realize that this "trash" of the Long Family had become so powerful that he could fight their elder and second brothers to a standstill.

Mu He and Mu Ji grew more alarmed the longer they fought. 'It's no wonder he killed Ye Gucheng,' they thought, 'he really is skilled.' Because of this realization, neither of them held back, their attacks growing fiercer with every blow.

In truth, for someone of Mu He's caliber, fighting two against one was already dishonorable; he was, after all, ranked ninety-fifth on the Hundred Battles Ranking. But Mu He knew he could not afford to lose, which was why he had teamed up with his younger brother in the first place.

Celestial Profound Finger! Ever since his Cultivation broke through to the One-Line Heaven Realm, Long Ao had mastered the Celestial Profound Seven Transformations and could now unleash the Celestial Profound Seven Fingers. A powerful Finger Force shot through Space, striking Mu Ji squarely on the right shoulder.

Long Ao had not dealt a killing blow, but wanting to end the fight quickly, the force behind the strike was immense. THUD! Mu Ji's body was sent flying backward, where he was caught by the others. Having lost the ability to continue fighting, Mu Ji could only grit his teeth and endure the waves of pain radiating from his right shoulder.

Seeing his younger brother taken down, Mu He was stunned. Daring not hesitate a moment longer, he began to unleash his Innate Martial Skill. But Long Ao was a step ahead. Channeling the Netherworld Nine-Link Strike into his fists, he struck out violently.

Long Ao's speed was simply too fast. Mu He had barely registered a blur of fists before he was knocked to the ground. He knew that if his opponent hadn't shown mercy, that one punch would have been enough to kill him.

Though every fiber of his being was reluctant to admit it, Mu He still spoke, "I've lost. From now on, you are number ninety-five on the Hundred Battles Ranking."

By defeating Mu He, Long Ao successfully climbed one spot in the rankings, moving from ninety-sixth to ninety-fifth. Consequently, Mu He dropped from ninety-fifth to take his place at ninety-sixth on the Hundred Battles Ranking.

Although he couldn't stand the group, they were still his relatives. For his mother's sake, if nothing else, Long Ao offered a word of advice. "You have such talent, yet you don't focus on your Cultivation. You'll find it difficult to make any further progress in this life. I hope you'll strive to do better."

Hearing this, Mu He's body trembled as if he'd had an epiphany. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your guidance. If I achieve anything in the future, I will be sure to repay the kindness you've shown me today."

Watching Mu He turn and leave, Long Ao nodded in appreciation. 'It's better late than never,' he thought. 'If Mu He can truly focus on his Cultivation, with his talent, his future achievements will be limitless.'

He shook his head with a wry smile. He had advanced a spot on the Hundred Battles Ranking, from ninety-sixth to ninety-fifth, almost by accident. It felt like the rank had been handed to him for free.

'The Sixth Level Long Family.'

As he looked toward the distant Sixth Level Long Family's estate, a trace of apprehension and worry appeared on Long Ao's face. The entire reason he had come to Thundercloud City with no plans to leave anytime soon was because of them.

'With the Nebula Royal Family and the Fifth Level Long Family's intervention, I don't have to worry about the Liuyun Sect for now. But the Sixth Level Long Family is another matter entirely. I killed Long Yulang, so Long Yancheng must hate me to his very core. Who knows if he and the Sixth Level Long Family will move against my family? If they do, my family will be annihilated. They would be utterly defenseless.'

'That's why I have to completely resolve this feud between myself and the Sixth Level Long Family. Only then can I leave without worry.'