War God Long Ao

'Long Jing?'

A cold smile touched Long Ao's lips at Long Yili's mention of Long Jing.

Ahem.

At that moment, Zhao Mang spoke up. "All of you are the pillars of our Thunder Empire. You are representing us in the Two Empires Competition this time, and I hope you will all achieve a resounding victory."

The twenty people representing the Thunder Empire in the Two Empires Competition were all Unity Martial Artists. The sole exception was Long Ao, who was a Fusion Martial Artist.

For this very reason, the other nineteen participants looked down on Long Ao. They only held their tongues out of deference to Zhao Mang.

"Everyone, the envoys from the Flame Empire will be arriving shortly. Follow me to welcome them."

The location for the Two Empires Competition rotated between the two nations. If one competition was held in the Flame Empire, the next would be held in the Thunder Empire. As it happened, it was now the Thunder Empire's turn to host.

Afterward, Zhao Mang and Gu Bai personally led the twenty participants, including Long Ao, and all the princes out of the main hall. They stood at the gates of the Imperial Palace, awaiting the arrival of the Flame Empire's envoys.

Before long, the sound of galloping hooves echoed from the distance. Soon after, a group of over twenty riders on tall steeds thundered toward them, showing no intention of slowing down even as they passed through the city's market district.

Seeing this, the expressions of Zhao Mang, Gu Bai, and the others instantly darkened. Their faces were grim, but because they were dealing with the Flame Empire, they could only swallow their anger for the time being.

The Flame Empire, one of the two great empires in the Celestial State.

The Flame Empire had dispatched twenty-two people in total. In addition to the twenty competitors for the Two Empires Competition, their party included Gu Feng, the Vice Hall Master of the Flame National Protection Hall, and Prince Dongfang Suo.

Long Ao was already mostly familiar with the identities and power levels of the twenty-two envoys, and this knowledge made him curious about something.

During the earlier Thunder Contest, Qiao Cheng, the Vice Hall Master of the Thunder National Protection Hall whom he had killed, was merely a Peak Fusion Martial Artist. But the Flame Empire? The Vice Hall Master they sent was a Unity Martial Artist.

He had to wonder, how could a mere Peak Fusion Martial Artist have become the Vice Hall Master of the Thunder National Protection Hall?

A short time later, the Flame Empire's envoys entered the Imperial Palace. Zhao Mang received them personally, saying with a smile, "The Thunder Empire welcomes the envoys of the Flame Empire."

"Hahaha, Your Majesty is too kind. His Majesty my Emperor sends his regards."

Zhao Mang's expression turned cold. He turned and walked away. Gu Feng merely shrugged, not the least bit bothered, and followed with his men.

「Inside the Main Hall」

Just as everyone was seated, the two sides began to introduce their respective participants for the Two Empires Competition—twenty from the Flame Empire and twenty from the Thunder Empire.

It was safe to say that the participants from both the Flame Empire and the Thunder Empire were the absolute elites of the Two Great Empires.

Among the forty total competitors from both the Flame and Thunder Empires, thirty-nine were Unity Martial Artists. There was only one exception: Long Ao of the Thunder Empire, who was a Fusion Martial Artist.

The twenty-two members of the Flame Empire delegation were visibly surprised. They simply couldn't fathom why the Thunder Empire would field a Fusion Martial Artist.

"Hmph. The Thunder Empire must be running out of talent. Looks like the Flame Empire is on its way to a fourth consecutive championship. This is getting boring."

"What kind of fucking bullshit are you spouting?"

It was a rare sight to see a Unity Martial Artist resort to cursing. But at this moment, even though the Two Empires Competition hadn't officially begun, the undercurrents of conflict were already swirling between the two Empires.

"Was I wrong? The Thunder Empire actually sent a Fusion Martial Artist to the competition. I can't tell if it's because you have no one left, or if you've simply lost the will to contend with the Flame Empire."

"That's right. If the Thunder Empire forfeits, we'll be sure to announce to the world that you were defeated, not that you ran away scared."

"Insolence!" Gu Bai's face went cold as a powerful momentum erupted from his body, pressing down on everyone like a collapsing sky. None of the forty-plus people present could withstand it; they were like ants before an elephant.

'A Transformed Martial Artist.'

Feeling the immense momentum radiating from Gu Bai, a realization struck Long Ao. He guessed that Gu Bai must be a Transformed Martial Artist, a realm above that of an Innate Martial Artist. 'No wonder he's the Hall Master of the Thunder National Protection Hall.'

"The Flame Empire is far too insolent. Who the Thunder Empire sends to compete is our own affair. What business is it of the Flame Empire?"

The twenty-two members of the Flame Empire delegation were left speechless, none daring to utter another word. After all, they were guests in the Thunder Royal Family's palace. What would they do if their hosts truly lost their minds and decided to kill all twenty-two of them?

The oppressive might of a Transformed Martial Artist was terrifying; mere Innate Martial Artists stood no chance of resisting it.

However, Gu Bai only maintained the pressure for a few moments before relenting. Regardless of their behavior, the twenty-two were representatives of the Flame Empire. If they were all executed before the competition even began, the consequences would be severe.

Zhao Mang suddenly broke into a hearty laugh. "The Two Empires Competition begins tomorrow. The twenty-two of you should go and rest for now."

Someone had finally stepped in to smooth things over, and the twenty-two from the Flame Empire didn't dare linger. They scurried away one after another, faster than rabbits, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Long Ao watched all of this with a cool detachment. From the moment he had decided to participate in the Two Empires Competition, he had been prepared to endure such treatment.

As a Fusion Martial Artist among nineteen Unity Martial Artists, he certainly stood out like a sore thumb.

But Long Ao didn't care.

Long Ao was fully confident in his current strength. He believed he could hold his own even against a Unity Martial Artist. If he were to team up with Long Qiang, killing a Unity Martial Artist would be an easy task.

For this reason, Long Ao wasn't worried in the slightest.

"Long Ao, you can just treat what the Flame Empire says as a load of hot air. As for tomorrow's competition... everything is riding on you."

Everything is riding on you.

Gu Bai's words caused an immediate stir. After all, Long Ao was the only Fusion Martial Artist among the twenty participants. 'What qualifications does he have,' they wondered, 'for everything to be riding on him?'

Hearing this, Long Ao's expression also grew grim. 'I'm no fool, I can understand the meaning behind his words. Does Gu Bai want to harm me?'

'On second thought, that seems unlikely. Gu Bai is the Hall Master of the Thunder National Protection Hall. If he wanted to deal with me, he wouldn't need to resort to such methods; he could just act openly. Besides, with the full support of the National Protection Hall and the entire Thunder Empire behind him, getting rid of me would be child's play.'

'What on earth does Gu Bai mean?'

And just as he'd expected, the moment Gu Bai finished speaking, the other nineteen competitors turned to glare at Long Ao. Their expressions were so fierce and hostile it looked as if they wanted to march right over and tear him limb from limb.