War God Long Ao

"Long Ao, don't say I'm bullying you. If you have a Spirit Beast partner, you can summon it now."

Shameless. Despicable. Hearing Miao He's words, everyone cursed him in their hearts. After all, everyone knew that with his Spirit Beast partner, Miao He was virtually invincible among One-Line Heaven Martial Artists.

But such was reality.

"You talk too much."

"Long Ao, you're truly arrogant. Within ten moves, I'll show you just how vast the gap in our strength truly is."

Before Miao He could even finish speaking, Long Ao made his move. He shot forward in a single bound. Even before he reached his opponent, he unleashed the Celestial Profound Finger, sending a powerful Finger Force piercing through space toward Miao He.

Miao He wasn't the least bit flustered. Bare-handed, he and the Wind Demon Wolf launched a two-pronged attack. The Wind Demon Wolf was so fast that it left only a trail of afterimages as it darted behind Long Ao. Their assault from the sides had now become a pincer attack from the front and back.

Teaming up with a beast was a huge advantage in itself. But in this dog-eat-dog world, the victor is king and the loser is vilified. As long as you won, who would dare to look down on you?

Not daring to let his guard down for an instant, Long Ao dodged to the side. Netherworld Nine-Link Strike! Nine waves of fist aura layered one over the other, instantly merging into a formidable Fist Force.

Long Ao's speed was also incredible. The powerful Fist Force flew true, smashing viciously toward the Wind Demon Wolf. However, the beast's speed was simply too great. The Fist Force seemed to strike its body, but in reality, it only hit the afterimage it left behind.

'He was shocked. The Wind Demon Wolf's speed was just too fast.'

Watching the battle to the death on the Life and Death Arena, the countless spectators below held their breath, their eyes locked on the platform, terrified of missing a single moment.

「On the Royal City Wall.」

"Feng'Er, find a way to win this young man over."

Ouyang Fei seemed a little surprised to hear his father's words, but he nodded and said, "I understand, Father."

The battle on the Life and Death Arena escalated quickly. With each move possessing a Thousand Transformations, a mere three exchanges felt like thirty. Life and death hung in the balance; the slightest misstep would lead to a point of no return.

"Long Ao, you will definitely die today!"

After just three exchanges, Long Ao already understood the power of his opponent's man-and-beast combination. The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber appeared in his hand. Netherworld Nine-Link Strike! Nine waves of Blade Aura rapidly stacked together and were unleashed in a single, instantaneous slash.

A Heaven-Shocking Blade Aura tore across the sky.

But even this Heaven-Shocking Blade Aura struck nothing but air. Ultimately, it was because Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf were simply too fast; all he could hit were their afterimages.

Speed.

'Long Ao knew full well that to defeat this man-and-beast duo, there was only one way: he had to beat speed with speed.'

'But was he fast enough to overwhelm them?'

If it were just Miao He alone, Long Ao was fully confident he could defeat him within ten moves. But with the Wind Demon Wolf, the situation was completely different. With the wolf in the picture, he couldn't focus his attacks solely on Miao He.

Long Ao understood something else even more clearly: the longer the battle dragged on, the greater his chances of defeat became.

Since the Netherworld Nine-Link Strike had failed to defeat them, Long Ao immediately followed up with the second of the Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques: Ice-Sealed Heart Devourer.

The surrounding area was instantly sealed by a terrifying Blade Aura. Because of this, although the Wind Demon Wolf and Miao He were fast, trying to win with speed alone suddenly became much more difficult. However, it wouldn't be easy for Long Ao to defeat them with the Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques either.

Ice-Sealed Heart Devourer.

The Blade Aura scattered in all directions. In a moment of carelessness, both Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf were invaded by it. The terrifying aspect of Ice-Sealed Heart Devourer was that once it invaded a target, it would immediately begin to devour their soul and heart meridian with incredible speed.

Miao He was horrified. He and the Wind Demon Wolf slowed down, forcing him to divert a third of his power to resist the terrifying Blade Aura devouring his soul and heart meridian.

The speed of the man-and-beast duo was what Long Ao had dreaded most. Now that they had slowed, it gave him a golden opportunity. Wielding the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, he unleashed a flurry of slashes, one after another, each stronger than the last. The strikes were relentless, their Blade Auras stacking continuously.

「On the Life and Death Arena.」

The tide of battle turned in an instant, catching everyone completely off guard.

Everyone had been certain that Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf, fighting together, would easily defeat their opponent. But now?

As the battle turned, and before everyone's astonished eyes, the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber in Long Ao's hand seemed like the Death God himself had descended. Forget Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf; even the spectators surrounding the Life and Death Platform broke out in a cold sweat on their behalf.

"Wind Demon Wolf, Tornado Slash!" Miao He roared. He was being pushed back relentlessly. He had to deal with the Blade Aura devouring him from within while also fending off Long Ao's external attacks. Under this two-pronged assault, Miao He was forced to use his most powerful technique: Tornado Slash.

Miao He couldn't execute the Tornado Slash alone; he had to perform it in tandem with the Wind Demon Wolf.

Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques: the first, Netherworld Nine-Link Strike, and the second, Ice-Sealed Heart Devourer. Long Ao circulated the Ninth Transformation Reincarnation Technique, gathering all his strength into his hands and fiercely unleashing the first two techniques in rapid succession.

A clash of the strongest techniques.

Long Ao's Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques versus the Tornado Slash of Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf.

As if sensing what was coming, everyone below the Life and Death Arena took a step back. Some of the more cautious ones even turned and fled immediately. After all, in a clash between the strongest techniques of One-Line Heaven Martial Artists, the mere shockwave could be enough to injure ordinary people.

On the Royal City Wall, watching the young man single-handedly resist the combined forces of Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf, the Nebula Emperor's eyes blazed with a golden light. His face was filled with admiration and anticipation. After such a dramatic reversal in the battle, anyone would be eager to see what happened next.

"Feng'Er, go and inform the Miao Family. Regardless of who wins or loses this battle, even if there's a death, the Miao Family is forbidden from interfering. They are not to seek revenge on Long Ao's family, or they will face the wrath of the Royal Family."

Ouyang Fei was even more surprised. 'But I understand Father,' he thought. 'It's clear he has taken a special interest in Long Ao, even willing to offend the Miao Family for him. In any case, Long Ao is the one I recommended. The more outstanding he is, the better it is for me.'

On the Life and Death Arena, both sides had already unleashed their strongest techniques. Though only five moves had passed since the battle began, neither side seemed willing to wait any longer. They were going for a quick and decisive conclusion.

As Miao He and the Wind Demon Wolf unleashed their ultimate technique, Tornado Slash, the wolf's speed skyrocketed. It moved so fast that it didn't even leave an afterimage as it began to circle Long Ao relentlessly. At the same time, whirlwind-like Blade Auras slashed in from all directions. Long Ao, however, met ten thousand blades with a single blade of his own—his technique unchanging in the face of endless variations.

Long Ao's Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques transformed into an endless torrent of Blade Aura, forming a Blade Aura Shield around him. The Blade Auras unleashed by both sides collided fiercely, sending sparks flying as the violent shockwaves spread out. If the Royal Family hadn't prepared in advance by having experts erect a Qi Shield, the scattered Blade Auras alone would have undoubtedly harmed the innocent bystanders.