War God Long Ao

Ao Tian, Sect Leader of the Ghost King Sect, and also Ao Xue's own father.

Ignoring the three from the Blood Sea Sect, Ao Tian looked at the youth before him and asked, "You're from the Long Clan?"

"The Sixth Level Long Family of Red Fire Town."

Long Ao was very specific about this. After all, the Long Clan had countless branches, divided into nine different Levels. To the Long Clan as a whole, a Sixth Level Long Family was practically nothing.

"Not bad. Ao Xue told me she likes you a lot. I was worried at first, but now that I've seen you for myself, I approve."

"Thank you, Dad."

Letting out a deep sigh, Ao Tian said helplessly, "She's my only daughter. Ah, she gives me such a headache."

Watching the father-daughter duo act in concert, Guan Feng and his men grew utterly furious. However, they were intimidated by the Ghost King Sect's power, so while they were enraged, they didn't dare to act. But it was obvious they were determined to get Long Ao and wouldn't give up easily.

"Brother Ao, it seems you're determined to protect this man?"

"I've already said it. He's my future son-in-law."

Nothing more needed to be said. That alone made Ao Tian's intentions clear. The three men weren't fools; of course they understood.

Giving him a long, cold stare, Guan Feng said, "Ao Tian, our paths will cross again. The Blood Sea Sect will settle this score with you. We're leaving."

"Wait."

"Ao Tian, don't push it too far."

Completely ignoring his anger, Ao Tian said with a smile, "Long Ao is my future son-in-law, so it would be best if you didn't touch him. That includes the Red Fire Town Long Family. Otherwise, the Ghost King Sect will be happy to make an example out of the Blood Sea Sect."

At that moment, Guan Feng was filled with uncontrollable rage, yet he was powerless to act on it.

Left with no recourse, Guan Feng kicked Tu Lei in the chest, then turned and sped away. As for Tu Lei, he was now a corpse lying on the ground.

"Thank you, Senior Ao Tian."

Waving his hand, Ao Tian seemed quite pleased with his future son-in-law. He smiled and said, "Ao'Er, if you don't mind, you can call me Uncle Ao."

"Uncle Ao."

'Long Ao knew perfectly well that Ao Tian was only willing to help him because of Ao Xue. Otherwise, why would the Ghost King of the Ghost King Sect offend the Blood Sea Sect for his sake?'

"Good, good."

"Hmph! Long Ao, my father and I saved you this time. You'd better be grateful."

Long Ao just smiled without saying anything. The power the three from the Blood Sea Sect had displayed was simply too immense; he'd felt completely powerless to resist.

As if reading his mind, Ao Tian said, "Why don't we find a place? I can tell you a bit about the Celestial State."

"Thank you, Uncle Ao."

「Inside a teahouse in the Red Fire Town market.」

"Uncle Ao Tian, I want to know... are there realms even higher than the Innate Realm?"

When he had faced the three men earlier, Long Ao had the feeling that Du Hexuan's strength far surpassed that of a Unity Martial Artist. If that was so, didn't it mean there was a higher existence above the Unity Realm?

Ao Tian nodded. "Your guess is correct. Du Hexuan and Du Yunxuan are both Earth Emperor Martial Artists."

'Earth Emperor Martial Artist?'

'Just as I thought. Although he didn't know what the Earth Emperor Realm entailed, Long Ao knew for sure that it was absolutely above the Unity Realm.'

"Ao'Er, from what you understood before, you thought Martial Artists were only divided into the Postnatal and Innate Realms, correct?"

Long Ao nodded. "That's right."

"That's not the whole story. In addition to the Postnatal and Innate Realms, there is also what's known as the Transformation Realm, which is above the Innate Realm."

'Just as I thought.'

"Uncle Ao Tian, so is an Earth Emperor Martial Artist someone in the Transformation Realm?"

Ao Tian shook his head and took a light sip of tea. "No. The Transformation Realm is divided into five realms: Thunder Tribulation, Transformation, Human King, Earth Emperor, and Taoist Ancestor."

'So that's how it is.'

'Thinking about it now, Long Ao finally understood what an Earth Emperor Martial Artist was. No wonder Du Hexuan and Du Yunxuan were so arrogant—they had the power to back it up. Long Ao didn't bother asking about Guan Feng's strength. There was no doubt about it; if even their Elders were Earth Emperor experts, their Sect Leader must be a Taoist Ancestor. As for Ao Tian, there was no need to ask about him, either.'

'Ao Tian... he must be what's called a Taoist Ancestor Martial Artist.'

'The Five Transformations: Thunder Tribulation, Transformation, Human King, Earth Emperor, and Taoist Ancestor.' Long Ao repeated the names to himself, committing them to memory.

'It seems my strength is still far from enough. I'm at the Peak of Evolution, but forget the Five Transformations—I haven't even reached the peak of the Five Innate Realms.'

Because of this, Long Ao didn't dwell on the Five Transformations. He knew full well that for a Martial Artist, being overly ambitious was not a good thing.

"Ao'Er, I imagine you don't know much about the Celestial State. Let me tell you about it."

Long Ao nodded. He really didn't know much about the Celestial State. Ever since he obtained the Mysterious Dragon Seal, he had been constantly fighting or focusing on his Cultivation and breakthroughs. He simply never had the time to learn about the Celestial State he lived in.

"The Celestial Martial Continent is divided into the nine regions of Kyushu. Our Celestial State is ranked first, not because it's the most powerful, but simply because of how the names are ordered."

Long Ao already knew this.

"The Celestial State is dominated by Six Great Sects: the Ghost King Sect, the Blood Sea Sect, the Wind and Thunder Sect, the Golden Sun Sect, the Flame Sect, and the Thunder Sect. In the past, these Six Great Sects were embroiled in a massive war. The Flame Sect and Thunder Sect ultimately emerged victorious, so they took control of the Mortal World and established the Thunder Empire and the Flame Empire."

'Long Ao was stunned. He'd never imagined that the Thunder Empire and the Flame Empire had such powerful backing—the Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect themselves. No wonder the Two Great Empires could dominate the entire Celestial State, with other Kingdoms not daring to offer the slightest resistance.'

"Among the Six Great Sects, the Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect are without a doubt the most powerful. My Ghost King Sect comes next, which is why Guan Feng wasn't willing to have a complete falling out just now. But, Ao'Er, the Blood Sea Sect likes to play dirty. You must be extremely careful. I'm sure Guan Feng won't let this go."

"I understand." Though it was his first time meeting Guan Feng and the Blood Sea Sect, Long Ao felt he had a decent grasp of the situation. 'Guan Feng only let me go this time because he's afraid of Ao Tian and the Ghost King Sect. If Uncle Ao weren't here, would Guan Feng have just stood by and done nothing?'

Long Ao wasn't worried about himself, but he was worried about his family. After a moment's thought, he finally spoke up, "Uncle Ao Tian, I'd like to ask you for a favor."

"I understand. I'll watch over your family. The Blood Sea Sect is wary of the Ghost King Sect, so they shouldn't move against them. Your situation, however, is another matter. Why don't you do this: come back with me to the Ghost King Sect and cultivate for a few decades. By then, I believe even the Blood Sea Sect won't be able to touch you."