War God Long Ao

After leaving the rear garden, just as Long Ao was preparing to leave, a young man approached him.

His face was cold and sinister, his expression as ugly as could be.

"Long Ao, you got lucky this time, but don't think for a second I'm going to let you go."

"Zhao Hao, you're the Empire's Third Prince?"

Unsure of what Long Ao meant, Zhao Hao nodded and retorted, "What if I am?"

A contemptuous smile touched Long Ao's lips. He said disdainfully, "And here I thought you were just some street punk. I had this idea that someone who looked so... patriotic, so dedicated, so full of integrity, would at least resemble a human being. But now I see I was wrong."

"You..."

Before Zhao Hao could say another word, Long Ao continued, "A worthless person suffers for a lifetime, while a worthless pig just gets the knife. For someone like you, living is a waste of air, and I'm sure dying would be a waste of land. Tragic. Truly tragic."

Zhao Hao was instantly enraged. He was the Third Prince of the Thunder Empire! Who would ever dare speak to him like that?

But due to the order given by Zhao Mang, Zhao Hao could only seethe with rage, not daring to make a single move.

A Prince was still just a Prince, his status always beneath the Emperor's. Zhao Hao, however, gave a cold sneer. "Long Ao, if my imperial father hadn't given the order, you'd be long dead by now, you waste."

"Hahaha! Zhao Hao, you think you could do it alone?"

The contempt on Long Ao's face clearly infuriated Zhao Hao. But he wasn't a fool; he knew perfectly well that with his level of strength, he was no match for his opponent.

Clenching his fists, Zhao Hao suddenly sneered. "Long Ao, I hear you're representing the Royal Family in the battle between the Two Great Empires. Let me give you a piece of advice: watch your back. Otherwise, you won't even know what hit you."

Not bothering to waste another breath on him—he was just a parasite who used the Royal Family to get away with his misdeeds—Long Ao turned and walked away.

Watching the retreating figure, a cold, sinister smile crept onto Zhao Hao's lips. 'Long Ao,' he muttered to himself, 'I'll make you regret this.'

Leaving the Thunder Royal Family's grounds, Long Ao found an extremely secluded spot as quickly as he could.

He had ten days. In ten days, he would represent the Thunder Royal Family in the battle between the Two Great Empires. Every little bit he could increase his strength in that time would count. The stronger he became, the better his chances in the tournament.

One hundred Soaring Dragon Pills.

Long Ao knew he couldn't possibly consume all of them at once. There would be only one result if he tried: his body would explode, and he would die.

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, is there any way for you to use Refinement on these one hundred Soaring Dragon Pills and turn them into a power I can absorb?"

Long Fu nodded. "Yes, Master. If you place all one hundred Soaring Dragon Pills into the Blood Pool, it can refine them into power for your Cultivation."

'The Blood Pool again. It's always the Blood Pool.'

Long Ao was discovering that the Blood Pool in his Dragon Seal Space was not only mysterious but seemingly omnipotent. In addition to creating Soul Slaves and Corpse Slaves, it could even perform Refinement on Elixirs.

Long Ao didn't ask any questions about the Blood Pool. He knew that even if he did, Long Fu wouldn't necessarily answer. So why waste the effort?

"Long Fu, how long will the Refinement of one hundred Soaring Dragon Pills take?"

"Three days."

Nodding, he acknowledged. Three days was nothing to a Martial Artist. After leaving the Dragon Seal Space, Long Ao returned to his inn, only to be stopped by someone—it was Long Yili, the very same man he had beaten and driven off earlier that day.

At that moment, Killing Intent finally flared from Long Ao. He said coldly, "Long Yili, do you really think I won't kill you?"

"Do you dare?"

Long Ao's reason still managed to suppress his impulse. After all, the Long Family backing Long Yili was a Fourth Level Clan, far beyond what a Sixth Level Clan could ever hope to compare with.

The Long Clan was a powerful clan on the Celestial Martial Continent with countless branches. They were divided into nine levels, with Ninth Level Clans being the lowest and First Level Clans the highest. Furthermore, members of the Long Family at Third Level and above were permitted to enter Dragon Valley, seek out a Giant Dragon partner, and become a Dragon Martial Artist.

If he were on his own, Long Ao wouldn't have hesitated. But no matter what, he still had a clan behind him. He couldn't bring trouble upon his own clan for every little thing.

"Long Ao, I didn't come looking for trouble this time. I received word that you'll be representing the Thunder Royal Family in the battle between the Two Great Empires?"

Long Ao wasn't surprised in the slightest. He had already learned the basics about the battle between the Two Great Empires. The participants from each Empire wouldn't just be from the Thunder National Protection Hall; the three great families would send their own experts as well.

In other words, the twenty participants dispatched by the Thunder Empire would be drawn from the Thunder Royal Family and the three great families.

"What of it?"

"Nothing much. I just want to propose a deal. What do you say?"

'A deal?'

Long Ao was surprised. For some reason, he felt that the Long Yili before him now was different from the spoiled, arrogant scion he'd seen earlier that day.

"What kind of deal?"

"I know your strength and your potential, and I've heard a thing or two about your situation. The deal is simple: during the battle between the Two Great Empires, you help me kill someone. You can name any price."

'Kill someone?'

"Who?" Long Ao was no fool. He wasn't about to agree immediately. Who the hell knew who Long Yili wanted dead? If it was a Transformed Martial Artist, he'd be lucky to escape with his life, let alone kill them.

"Long Jing. He's an Elder of my Fourth Level Long Family... and the man who murdered my father. I'm just asking for now if you'll agree to the deal."

"Long Jing is also participating in the battle between the Two Great Empires?"

"That's right."

Although Long Yili hadn't stated it outright, Long Ao already had an idea of Long Jing's strength. There was an agreement between the Flame Empire and the Thunder Empire: for each battle between the Two Great Empires, the participants' strength could not exceed the Unity Realm. This meant that Transformed Martial Artists were forbidden from taking part.

'A Unity Martial Artist.' With his current strength, Long Ao had no fear of a Unity Martial Artist. If he brought Long Qiang into the equation, it was even possible he could kill one.

The question was, why should he provoke the Long Family and a Unity Martial Artist just for Long Yili? If this matter were ever exposed, the consequences would be dire.

"Long Ao, if you agree to do this for me, I'll agree to one condition of yours in return. Anything you want."

"Long Yili, why are you so certain I can kill Long Jing? If I'm not mistaken, he should be a Unity Martial Artist, while I'm only in the Fusion Realm."

"Haha! Long Ao, you don't need to worry about that. Just tell me: are you willing to make this deal or not?"

Long Ao thought for a moment, then finally asked, "I can agree, but you must accept two conditions. First, I can name any price. Second, you must pay that price right now. What do you say?"

"No problem. I agree," Long Yili accepted immediately, without a moment's hesitation.