War God Long Ao

That was precisely why Hao Chao would never hand over his Soul Order.

"Farewell."

"Trying to leave? It won't be that easy."

The six Evolution Realm masters—Mao Feng, Tong Bo, Hao Jiangjun, Ye Rong, Lin Yiyi, and Wang Huan—all struck at once. They surrounded Hao Chao, every one of them radiating Killing Intent.

Hao Chao's expression turned grim. After all, in a one-on-seven fight, the outcome was easy to imagine.

"Kill!"

With a furious roar, the six of them charged in a frenzy. In the blink of an eye, the seven were locked in battle. Luo Cheng skirmished from the perimeter, which meant Hao Chao's death was all but certain. Besides the six attackers, there was also a Fusion Master present. How could Hao Chao possibly escape from Luo Cheng?

"Brother Hao, I've come to help you!"

A Heaven-Shocking Blade Aura cleaved down in an instant. Wielding the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, Long Ao had joined the fray. His strength was formidable. With him added to the mix, he and Hao Chao were not at a disadvantage against the six opponents. In fact, they seemed to be gaining the upper hand.

The six were astonished by this development. Not daring to be the slightest bit careless, they attacked with their full might.

"Insolent!"

Luo Cheng roared in fury. If those two escaped today, what would become of his reputation? For that very reason, Luo Cheng disregarded his status as Vice Hall Master and instantly joined the fight. However, Long Ao and Hao Chao viciously forced the six back, then turned and made a swift retreat.

"Master Luo, what should we do now?"

Waving his hand dismissively, Luo Cheng said with a dark expression, "Hmph. I refuse to believe they can leave the Thunder Forest alive. Our most urgent task is to seize the Soul Orders. As for those two, it won't be too late to deal with them later."

Long Ao and Hao Chao fled at full speed. They only stopped when they realized Luo Cheng and his men weren't in pursuit.

"Brother Long, thank you. If you hadn't intervened when you did, I'm afraid they would have torn me to pieces."

Long Ao smiled. "Brother Hao, don't mention it. You left the National Protection Hall because of me, after all. But Luo Cheng definitely won't let this go. You still need to be careful."

"Brother Long, you're not coming with me?"

"I prefer to travel alone. Brother, if you're ever in trouble, I'll get there as fast as I can. Farewell." Without another word, Long Ao turned and departed.

「Outside a secluded valley.」

The moment Long Ao stepped into the valley, he was assaulted by the terrifying, overwhelming stench of blood. It was exceptionally pungent.

'This is bad.'

Long Ao was stunned by the sudden appearance of a colossal, blood-red python in the valley. The massive python had nine heads, and each head possessed a pair of icy-green eyes that radiated a cold light.

'A Nine-headed Blood Python. An Innate Spirit Beast.'

Long Ao knew with certainty that this Nine-headed Blood Python was far stronger than Luo Cheng, meaning its power surpassed the Fusion Realm. 'With my current strength,' he wondered, 'am I any match for it?'

For that reason, Long Ao turned to leave. But would it let him?

ROAR!

All nine heads of the Nine-headed Blood Python moved in unison as it began to attack Long Ao with frenzied abandon. Not daring to be careless, Long Ao instantly slashed out with his Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. He unleashed his Netherworld Nine-Link Strike and Ice-Sealed Heart Devourer, and even slammed his Soul-Sealing Seal down upon the beast.

The Nine-headed Blood Python's defense was too formidable. Long Ao was struck by its tail and sent flying. THUD! He crashed hard onto the ground, spitting up a mouthful of blood.

He was horrified. The Nine-headed Blood Python's strength was completely beyond his ability to resist. Long Ao immediately brought out the Dragon Seal and smashed it toward the great python.

The initially small Dragon Seal instantly swelled in size as it flew through the air. 'Is this Long Fu's doing?' Long Ao wondered. The Dragon Seal slammed viciously into the Nine-headed Blood Python, giving the beast no chance to react. With a single strike, the Seal smashed it to the ground.

Staring at the dead Nine-headed Blood Python, Long Ao was completely dumbfounded. He knew the Dragon Seal was extraordinary, but he never imagined it could kill such a formidable beast in a single blow.

"Master, the Dragon Seal is the specific bane of the Nine-headed Blood Python. Against any other Spirit Beast, I would have been helpless. Still, this python's power is immense. Once you complete its Refinement, it will be more than enough for you to achieve a breakthrough."

Long Ao was overjoyed to hear this. His Desolate Sacred Body had always been a source of heartache for him. It was supposedly the strongest physique, but also the most difficult to cultivate, requiring immense power for every breakthrough. The Nine-headed Blood Python was the perfect opportunity.

Long Ao didn't hesitate at all. He immediately sat down cross-legged and began to circulate the Ninth Transformation Reincarnation Technique in his body. Just as Long Fu had said, the Dragon Seal was the nemesis of the Nine-headed Blood Python, making the Refinement process incredibly easy.

At first, Long Ao had considered asking Long Fu to turn the Nine-headed Blood Python into a Soul Slave. Given the python's power, a Soul Slave made from it would be incredibly strong. He was confident that with it, he wouldn't even need to fear Luo Cheng.

But after some thought, Long Ao decided to refine it for himself. Raising his own strength was the priority.

Fueled by the infusion of refined power from the Nine-headed Blood Python, his Celestial Profound Nine Transformations instantly reached the Ninth Transformation. He was just one step away from achieving the First Transformation of his Ninth Transformation Reincarnation Technique. Yet, that single step felt like an insurmountable chasm he could not cross.

Feeling the immense power continuously pouring into his body, Long Ao was thrilled. He wouldn't let this golden opportunity slip by. He immediately channeled this power and began developing the 108 acupoints throughout his body.

There was no denying the power of the Nine-headed Blood Python's soul. Once refined, it surged into Long Ao's body like a torrential flood.

In just one short hour, all 108 of Long Ao's acupoints were completely filled by this powerful energy. Combined with the Momentum he had already condensed, a resounding boom echoed from within his body. At that moment, Long Ao officially broke through from the One-Line Heaven Realm to the Evolution Realm.

Long Ao was no fool. He knew perfectly well that without the Nine-headed Blood Python, who knew how long or how much power it would have taken for him to break through from the One-Line Heaven Realm to the Evolution Realm.

His cultivation smoothly broke through to the Evolution Realm, but Long Ao did not stop there. Because Long Fu had refined the Nine-headed Blood Python, a full third of the power still remained. Taking advantage of this vast energy, perhaps he could break through to the Fusion Realm in one fell swoop.

The Fusion Realm, which involved fusing Momentum into Spiritual Power, seemed simple but was actually incredibly difficult.

The vast power surged madly into Long Ao's body. His cultivation in the Evolution Realm, which he had only just entered, began to climb at an incredible speed, not stopping until he reached the Peak of the Evolution Realm.

The Peak of Evolution.

He was ecstatic. Although he hadn't reached his goal of the Fusion Realm, breaking through to the Peak of Evolution was still an incredible achievement. At this moment, Long Ao was fully confident. With his current strength, even if he were to face Luo Cheng, he would absolutely have a fighting chance.