War God Long Ao

The Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion was an Innate Spirit Beast. Its Beast Pill could be refined into a Spirit Recovery Pill.

The Spirit Recovery Pill possessed a miraculous effect. Legend said that a single pill could help a Martial Artist recover from their injuries in an instant. For this reason, every Martial Artist desperately wanted to obtain one.

But refining a Spirit Recovery Pill was no easy task. Simply hunting the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion was an incredibly difficult feat, as the beast could channel the Power of Thunder and Lightning, allowing it to kill enemies far stronger than itself.

"I'd like to ask, where can I find the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion?"

When they saw it was just some young brat asking, everyone burst into unrestrained laughter. One of them sneered, "You're not thinking of heading to the Nebula Forest to hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion too, are you?"

'Nebula Forest?'

Watching the youth leave without another word, the crowd erupted in laughter again, their chatter filled mostly with mockery and disdain. In their eyes, far too many people wanted to hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion, and they were all just lusting after Princess Zixia's beauty.

Princess Zixia.

She was the Nebula Emperor's most beloved princess. Doted on since childhood, she was spoiled and had impossibly high standards. Now, with the Emperor gravely ill and in need of a Spirit Recovery Pill, she had gone so far as to offer her hand in marriage to whoever could hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion. This showed just how much Princess Zixia cherished her father.

As the foremost beauty in the Nebula Kingdom, Princess Zixia had countless suitors. However, her standards were simply too high, so after all these years, she remained single and unwed.

When Princess Zixia suddenly announced to the world that she was seeking a husband, the entire Nebula Kingdom burst into a flurry of excitement. A steady stream of young, talented men poured into Nebula City, all hoping to hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion and win the princess's favor.

「Nebula Forest.」

It was the largest Spirit Beast Forest in the Nebula Kingdom, and also the most dangerous. A graveyard for humans, but a paradise for Spirit Beasts.

After a quick meal, Long Ao left Thundercloud City and made his way to the Nebula Forest. He was going to try his luck and see if he could hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion, obtain its Beast Pill, and refine a Spirit Recovery Pill.

According to the records, the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion was not only powerful but also incredibly fast. It was elusive, appearing and disappearing like a ghost. Most Innate Martial Artists couldn't even find a trace of it, let alone hunt it down.

The moment Long Ao stepped into the Nebula Forest, he sensed the auras of many other Martial Artists. 'It seems Princess Zixia's charms are quite potent,' he thought.

Of course, Long Ao wasn't hunting the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion to win her hand in marriage, so he gave Princess Zixia little thought.

The Nebula Forest was far larger than the Thundercloud Forest, seeming to stretch on without end.

Once inside the Nebula Forest, Long Ao followed the information he'd gathered and headed toward a location where the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion was likely to appear.

"Quick, look! Even the One-Armed Blade King is here. I guess old bulls like tender grass after all."

SLICE.

Before the man could even finish his sentence, a devastating slash cut him in half at the waist, sending the surrounding crowd scattering in terror.

The One-Armed Blade King was obsessed with the way of the blade. He had reached the Peak of One-Line Heaven by the age of thirty and was ranked seventy-seventh on the Hundred Battles Ranking—one spot higher than even Madman Long. One could only imagine the true extent of the One-Armed Blade King's power.

The man was cold and indifferent, his face covered by a thick beard. A long scar ran from his forehead to his chin, bisecting his entire face and giving him a terrifying appearance. This was none other than the One-Armed Blade King.

"Anyone else runs their mouth, and they'll end up just like him."

An icy aura erupted from the One-Armed Blade King, washing over the area. Everyone scrambled backward, unwilling to provoke this menace who killed without batting an eye.

"The Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion is mine. Anyone who touches it dies."

It had to be said, the One-Armed Blade King was incredibly arrogant. Yet, no one dared to utter a word. Such was the intimidating presence that came with power. The One-Armed Blade King let out a cold sneer, shot a contemptuous glance at the crowd, and then turned and swiftly departed.

The remaining crowd looked at one another, their faces filled with frustration, resentment, and above all, anger.

The One-Armed Blade King had openly threatened them should they dare to hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion. And though they were furious, many had already begun to back down, slowly making their way out of the Nebula Forest.

Some were afraid to die, but others were not.

A small minority chose to press on in search of the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion. Long Ao, who had been hiding off to the side, was somewhat surprised. 'This is getting tricky,' he thought. After all, the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion had drawn the attention of a One-Line Heaven Martial Artist, a genius from the Hundred Battles Ranking no less.

'The One-Armed Blade King?'

A faint smile touched the corners of Long Ao's mouth. He certainly wasn't going to back down just because of some One-Armed Blade King. He followed the others, slowly making his way southeast.

From the moment he set foot in the Nebula Forest, a question had been brewing in Long Ao's mind. It concerned the Nebula Royal Family. After all, the Nebula Royal Family were the sovereigns of the Nebula Kingdom. He was certain they had many powerful Martial Artists in their service; there had to be more than a few Evolution-level masters.

'If that's the case, why wouldn't the Nebula Royal Family dispatch their Evolution-level masters to simply kill the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion and take its Beast Pill to refine the elixir? Why go to the trouble of recruiting a husband, drawing experts from all over into the Nebula Forest to do the job? Isn't that completely unnecessary?'

'What's even stranger is that for this marriage competition, none of the great families of Nebula City—including the Long Family—have sent any disciples or experts to participate. The people entering the Nebula Forest are all Martial Artists from various cities, from all over the place.'

'What is the Nebula Royal Family plotting?'

'Is Princess Zixia really just trying to cure her father? If that were the case, with her status and position in the Royal Family, finding a few powerful Martial Artists to kill the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion would be a simple matter.'

For reasons he couldn't explain, Long Ao felt that something about this was very suspicious, as if the Nebula Royal Family was hatching some kind of conspiracy.

Regardless of what conspiracy the Nebula Royal Family was plotting, Long Ao had already made up his mind. He had to hunt the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion and refine a Spirit Recovery Pill. With an elixir like that, he would be able to recover instantly if he were ever injured in battle.

Nebula Forest.

Thanks to the information released by the Royal Family, many people now knew the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion's location. By the time Long Ao arrived, he found the One-Armed Blade King already locked in a fierce battle with the beast. A large crowd had gathered, each person watching the fight with bated breath. They all hoped the One-Armed Blade King and the Purple-Winged Blood Gold Lion would grievously wound each other, allowing them to swoop in and reap the rewards.

Long Ao didn't move immediately. He just stood quietly in place, watching the battle from a distance.

Although the One-Armed Blade King was ranked seventy-seventh on the Hundred Battles Ranking—just one spot above Madman Long—Long Ao could clearly tell that the gap in power between the two was immense. Truly immense.