War God Long Ao

「Red Fire Town, Long Family Estate.」

Three days after receiving the Thousand-Year Thunder Fruit from Long Ao, Wang Yuyin finally woke up.

Everyone was overjoyed to see her awake, but just then, a mysterious and powerful master appeared at the Long Family estate.

She was an old woman with graying hair, leaning on a cane. Her face was a web of wrinkles, and she swayed as she walked, looking as if a gust of wind could blow her over.

Seeing the old woman, Wang Yuyin's face lit up. She bowed respectfully and said, "Master."

"Hmph. So you still remember that I'm your Master?"

"Master," Wang Yuyin said meekly. She had always been a little afraid of her mysterious and powerful Master, especially after last time, when she had refused to leave with her.

The old woman's expression was grim. She snorted coldly and said, "I just don't see what's so great about that stinky brat. You actually gave up a Cultivation Technique you've practiced for ten years for him."

"Master, I'm sorry."

Sighing deeply, the old woman suddenly said, "I already know what happened to you. I suppose the boy is loyal and devoted, so I'll let him off the hook for now. Yuyin, I came this time mainly to take you away from Red Fire Town."

Stunned, Wang Yuyin realized she had never imagined leaving Red Fire Town, leaving Long Ao.

Seeing Yuyin hesitate, the old woman snorted heavily. "Yuyin, if you don't come with me, if you're as willful as you were last time, I will kill Long Ao immediately."

"Master, don't!"

"I'll ask you one last time. Are you coming with me or not?"

Wang Yuyin knew in her heart that her Master was a person of her word. If she didn't agree, her Master would truly kill Long Ao.

With no other choice, Wang Yuyin nodded and agreed. "Master, I'll go with you. But you must promise me that I will never have to practice that Cultivation Technique again, no matter what."

"For that stinky brat?"

"I promised him. So even if I die, I will not cultivate it again. Please understand, Master."

"Fine. However, Yuyin, once you leave with me this time, you will not be allowed to return for at least three years, and perhaps as long as ten. But you can rest assured, I will take you to a special place. The next time you see Long Ao, you will be among the ranks of top-tier masters."

Nodding woodenly, Wang Yuyin said, "Thank you, Master." She had no interest whatsoever in becoming a top-tier master.

"Let's go."

"Master, I want to write a letter to Long Ao."

"No. I will inform the Long Family of this. Let's go." Regardless of whether Wang Yuyin was willing, the old woman grabbed her hand, and they vanished without a trace.

The next moment, the Long Family Patriarch, Long Haoshi, received the news that Wang Yuyin had been taken away by a mysterious master. Though he was thoroughly against it, he was willing but powerless to stop it. Leaving aside whether this mysterious master was truly Wang Yuyin's teacher, her power alone was far beyond anything the Long Family could contend with.

「Thunder Forest, inside the mysterious cave.」

Under constant attack from the spinning disk, Long Ao had no other choice. He grabbed Ao Xue and charged directly toward the patterns on the wall, startling Ao Xue, who had no idea what was happening.

'Has this brat gone stupid from being chased?'

She squeezed her eyes shut, expecting them both to be smashed to a pulp. But then, a miraculous scene occurred. Instead of hitting the wall, they flickered and instantly vanished into it.

"Brat, what in the world just happened?"

There was no crash as she'd imagined. Snapping her eyes open, Ao Xue looked around in astonishment. They had passed through the wall and into a stone chamber. There was a bed, a table, and a chair. A painting hanging on the wall was particularly eye-catching.

"The Endless Blood Sea Map?"

Before Long Ao could answer, Ao Xue spotted the painting on the wall and shot toward it. But Long Ao immediately pulled her back, his voice grave as he said, "Ao Xue, calm down."

"Brat, why are you stopping me?" Ao Xue was agitated. She hadn't sensed any aura from the twelve patterns outside. Now that the Endless Blood Sea Map was right in front of her, was she supposed to just give up?

"Ao Xue, if I'm not mistaken, this Endless Blood Sea Map has some kind of offensive power. Watch."

Long Ao took a Gold Coin from his pocket and tossed it toward the Endless Blood Sea Map on the wall. Before it could even touch the map, a crimson light shot out and struck it. The Gold Coin instantly turned to dust. Seeing this, Ao Xue gasped, finally understanding why Long Ao had stopped her.

"Ao Xue, try and see if your bloodline can communicate with this Endless Blood Sea Map."

Nodding, Ao Xue knew what Long Ao meant. She stopped two meters from the Endless Blood Sea Map and took a deep breath. Then, the bloodline within her began to churn as she tried to communicate with the map.

After just a few seconds, Ao Xue's face lit up with joy. She nodded and said excitedly, "My bloodline can feel a call from within the Endless Blood Sea Map! This is great, just great!"

'She communicated with it?'

Long Ao didn't feel the slightest bit of excitement. For some reason, he felt something was off. The Endless Blood Sea Map was just left out in the open like this? If that were the case, wouldn't it mean that any direct disciple of the Ghost King Sect who wandered in could obtain the Endless Blood Sea Map?

'There's no way it's this simple,' Long Ao thought.

But things had already reached this point, so Long Ao didn't say anything more. Just like that, Ao Xue successfully communicated with the Endless Blood Sea Map. She then prepared to reach out and take it. But at that exact moment, several rays of crimson light suddenly shot out from the map. They were so fast that Ao Xue didn't even have a chance to react.

But just then, a figure suddenly appeared in front of Ao Xue. He was struck by the rays of crimson light, spat out a mouthful of blood, and was sent flying backward. Stunned, Ao Xue scrambled to catch him, managing to grab Long Ao out of mid-air.

"Why did you do that?" At that moment, Ao Xue was completely moved. She never would have imagined that Long Ao would risk his own life to save her, nearly dying in the process.

Having been hit by several rays of crimson light, Long Ao was extremely weak, but his expression was incredibly resolute. He said, "Whether you're willing or not, I'll say it again: I will take responsibility. From now on, you are my, Long Ao's, woman. No matter what happens, I will always stand in front of you, even in the face of life and death."

Hearing this, Ao Xue stared intently at Long Ao, who lay in her arms. Suddenly, she burst into tears, crying her eyes out. Women are emotional creatures, after all. No matter how powerful she was, Ao Xue was still a woman.