War God Long Ao

The Thunder Tribulation Realm.

Without the slightest hesitation, Long Ao immediately began the fusion process.

Fusing the Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques and the Destruction Seal Technique with Thunder Tribulation Power seemed simple, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult.

It took him a full night before he achieved a minor fusion. Even so, Long Ao was fully confident that the power of his Blood-Drinking Eight Techniques and Destruction Seal Technique could now be doubled.

「Nebula City.」

News of Long Ao battling the Nebula Royal Family's Ancestor and triggering his Thunder Tribulation while under the pressure of the latter's momentum instantly spread throughout the entire Nebula Kingdom, and even across all of Celestial State.

Moreover, the fact that Long Ao had undergone a transformation during the Thunder Tribulation, scattered the thunderclouds with a single slash of his saber, and then devoured the tribulation itself sent profound shockwaves through Celestial State. Everyone who heard the news was astonished, though most still refused to believe it.

Long Ao: clad in black, with a head of white hair, one man and his saber, proudly ranked eleventh on the Hundred Battles Ranking.

Long Ao: once a failure, he persisted for ten years, rose to prominence in just a few short months, slayed countless masters, and achieved the Thunder Tribulation Realm.

Long Ao: having just passed his Thunder Tribulation and reached that realm, he gravely wounded the Transformation Realm Nebula Ancestor with a single slash.

All of this had made Long Ao a celebrity in Celestial State, his fame even surpassing that of the genius disciples from the Six Great Sects. Just when everyone thought Long Ao would annihilate the Nebula Kingdom, he left Nebula City instead.

Under normal circumstances, Long Ao should have been no match for Ouyang Zhong.

But now, Long Ao had indeed seriously injured Ouyang Zhong. Although he had borrowed the power of his Thunder Tribulation, in everyone's eyes, it would be impossible for Ouyang Zhong to recover from his injuries in a short time.

Because of this, Long Ao could have easily pressed his advantage. Perhaps the Nebula Royal Family would have even seen a change in leadership.

Everyone was discussing Long Ao's sudden departure, wondering what on earth had happened to him.

「Red Fire Town, Long Family estate.」

One of the Long Family's two Forbidden Lands. No one was permitted to take a single step inside, not even Long Haoshi himself.

The Long Family had two Forbidden Lands in total. The first was the Little Courtyard House where Long Ao lived. The second was the most mysterious place in the Long Family estate; aside from Long Haoshi and Long Yi, no one knew who—or what—existed within it.

「At that moment.」

Long Haoshi and Long Yi stood quietly outside the rear courtyard, their expressions exceptionally grave.

"Father."

Waving his hand to silence him, Long Haoshi suddenly spoke. "Elder Qilin, you made an agreement with Ao'er. You promised that if the Long Family was ever in trouble, you would lend your aid. Now, the Nebula Royal Family's army is approaching. I hope that you, Elder Qilin, will help us."

Both Long Haoshi and Long Yi knew perfectly well that even though the Fire Qilin was seriously injured, a minor entity like the Nebula Kingdom was still beneath its notice.

The two had already received news that the Nebula Royal Family wanted to deal with Long Ao, but they had never expected the Royal Family's army to arrive so quickly.

Although the Long Family of today was a far cry from what it once was, it was still no match for the entire Nebula Royal Family. If the Royal Family wished it, they could annihilate Red Fire Town at any moment.

Out of desperation, Long Haoshi and Long Yi could only turn to the Fire Qilin for help. As things stood, only the Fire Qilin could help the Long Family withstand the Nebula Royal Family.

A majestic voice rang out as a Fire Attribute aura instantly permeated the entire rear courtyard.

"Leave. My agreement with Long Ao is to protect the Long Family for three years, not to protect Red Fire Town. The fate of Red Fire Town has nothing to do with me. As long as the Long Family itself is in danger, I will not stand idly by."

Long Yi wanted to say more, but Long Haoshi stopped him.

"We won't disturb you any further, Elder Qilin. We'll take our leave."

Long Haoshi led Long Yi as they slowly backed away. Once they were outside the gate, Long Yi asked impatiently, "Father, if Elder Qilin won't act, Red Fire Town is finished."

Of course, Long Yi understood the Fire Qilin's meaning, but he still felt a sense of unwillingness.

These days, Red Fire Town was practically the Long Family's private property. If it were destroyed by the Nebula Royal Family, it would be a major blow to the family. Therefore, Long Yi knew that given the current situation, only the Fire Qilin's intervention could help Red Fire Town safely weather this calamity.

Long Haoshi was well aware of his son's worries, but the Fire Qilin was unwilling to act. 'Can we really force it?'

"Elder Qilin's three-year agreement with Ao'er was only to protect the Long Family, not Red Fire Town. We cannot blame Elder Qilin for this."

Long Haoshi knew that it wouldn't matter if it were just the two of them—he believed that even if Ao'er himself came to ask, the Fire Qilin would not agree.

"Father, what should we do?"

"Sacrifice the chariot to save the king." Even though he was a million times unwilling, Long Haoshi knew it was what he had to do. If forced to choose between the Long Family and Red Fire Town, he would choose the Long Family without hesitation.

「Outside Red Fire Town.」

This time, Ouyang Fei had brought a massive army of a million soldiers. There were over twenty Innate Martial Artists alone. Although most of them were only at the Hundred Scattered Heaven level, it was more than enough to deal with a small town like Red Fire Town.

Ouyang Fei stared intently at Red Fire Town before him without a hint of guilt. In his mind, since Long Ao was already dead, he wouldn't feel he had wronged anyone even if he wiped out Red Fire Town, or even the Long Family.

Long Ao, his so-called former friend, had now vanished like smoke.

A friend?

In the eyes of royalty, the word "friend" didn't exist. For the sake of imperial power, Ouyang Fei would abandon anything.

"Long Haoshi, Long Yi, Long Ao is already dead! I hope you'll be sensible. Otherwise, not only Red Fire Town, but the entire Long Family will be annihilated today. For the sake of the friendship I shared with Long Ao, I'll give you one chance. If you surrender, the Long Family can be spared."

Hearing Ouyang Fei's words, everyone present scorned him in their hearts.

As the foremost figure of the Long Family, and indeed of Red Fire Town, Long Haoshi sneered and said, "Ouyang Fei, Ao'er considered you a friend, yet you come here leading the Nebula Army. Hmph! Ao'er is not dead, and he will return. As for today, no matter what happens, my Long Family will not back down."

"Father, the Yang Family and the Nangong Family have defected! They've left Red Fire Town."

Hearing Long Yi's words, Long Haoshi's expression instantly turned grim to the extreme. He had never imagined that the Yang Family and the Nangong Family would choose to leave at a time like this.

Red Fire Town had Four Great Clans: the Yang, Wang, Long, and Nangong Families. The Long and Wang Families were joined by marriage, and because of this, the Yang and Nangong Families had been relegated to the status of subordinate clans with almost no real standing.

Therefore, how could the Yang Family and the Nangong Clan possibly pass up such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? They decisively chose to abandon Red Fire Town and side with the Nebula Royal Family.