War God Long Ao

The Five Transformations, in ascending order, were the Thunder Tribulation Realm, the Transformation Realm, the Human King Realm, the Earth Emperor Realm, and the Taoist Ancestor Realm.

The gap between the Thunder Tribulation Realm and the Human King Realm was immense.

Ignoring Xia Army's mockery, Long Ao said nothing, simply watching him coldly.

"Long Ao, in three months, Zhang Zhihang and Ao Xue will be married at the Ghost King Sect. Don't tell me you plan to crash the wedding by yourself?"

"What if I do?"

"Hahaha! What an arrogant brat, utterly clueless about the immensity of the world. Long Ao, I'll give you one last chance. Will you cooperate with me or not?"

"I don't need to."

Rejected again, Xia Army's expression finally darkened. He suddenly said, "Long Ao, you're ranked eleventh on the Hundred Battles Ranking, and your Cultivation has broken through to the Thunder Tribulation Realm. You're now qualified to pursue a spot on the Wind and Cloud Ranking. By my estimation, with your current strength, you should be able to rank around seventieth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking. In the Mortal World, that's already quite impressive."

The Wind and Cloud Ranking was a list that stood above the Hundred Battles Ranking.

Kyushu had nine Hundred Battles Rankings and, similarly, nine Wind and Cloud Rankings. Disciples of the Six Great Sects were forbidden from competing for the Hundred Battles Ranking, but the Wind and Cloud Ranking was open for anyone to pursue.

Long Ao had killed Ye Yidao to be ranked eleventh on the Hundred Battles Ranking. Only after that did he trigger his Thunder Tribulation under the pressure of Ouyang Zhong's momentum and successfully overcome it.

So, even without Xia Army saying it, Long Ao was fully confident in his heart. With his current strength, never mind the Wind and Cloud Ranking, he was absolutely qualified to compete for the top ten of the Hundred Battles Ranking.

But right now, Long Ao couldn't care less about the Hundred Battles Ranking or the Wind and Cloud Ranking. In his heart, there was only one thing that mattered: how to stop the wedding.

Just as Xia Army had said, in three months, it would be the wedding day for Ao Xue and Zhang Zhihang. When that time came, he would resolve this matter, no matter what.

"Zhang Zhihang is hailed as the Golden Sun Sect's greatest genius in a hundred years. Not only has his Cultivation broken through to the Peak of Earth Emperor Realm, but he's also ranked third on the Wind and Cloud Ranking."

Long Ao already knew most of this about Zhang Zhihang. In the end, he could only be described with two words: a prodigy.

"And I, Xia Army, am also a prodigy, yet I've never been able to surpass Zhang Zhihang. I can only rank fourth on the Wind and Cloud Ranking. So, I refuse to accept it. I absolutely refuse to accept it."

At that moment, after hearing Xia Army's words, Long Ao finally understood what he was thinking.

One was the prodigy of the Golden Sun Sect, the other was the prodigy of the Thunder Sect.

One was ranked third on the Wind and Cloud Ranking, the other fourth. Both were in the Earth Emperor Realm, but their strength was vastly different.

Although it was only a single rank difference, Long Ao knew very well what that implied.

"If you're not satisfied, you can rely on your Cultivation to gain the strength to defeat Zhang Zhihang. Although I'm not on good terms with him, as a Martial Artist, I know very well what a Martial Artist's Martial Grade is."

"Are you trying to lecture me?"

"Wrong. I'm not lecturing you. I just want to tell you that if you rely on schemes and plots, even if you defeat Zhang Zhihang, as a Martial Artist, you've actually already lost."

Seemingly struck by this, Xia Army didn't say anything more and lowered his head in thought.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Army finally looked up and said with a smile, "You're very interesting, Long Ao. I'm looking forward to what happens in three months. I hope you don't disappoint me. You're right. As a Martial Artist, I must rely on my own strength to defeat Zhang Zhihang."

"I definitely won't disappoint you."

"Hahaha, good! Long Ao, I look forward to the day you've grown. In three months, after you've resolved your own affairs, I'll come find you again. Farewell."

Watching Xia Army's swift departure, Long Ao didn't leave right away.

He stood at the peak of the mountain, battered by the fierce, cold wind. His eyes stared into the endless void before him, his mind lost in thought.

"The Hundred Battles Ranking, the Wind and Cloud Ranking... One day, I will pursue the Wind and Cloud Ranking."

His fists clenched tightly, Long Ao's face was filled with determination. He had already decided that in three months, no matter what, he would make a trip to the Ghost King Sect.

His Cultivation had successfully broken through to the Thunder Tribulation Realm, but Long Ao found that his current strength was still far from enough.

The Thunder Tribulation Realm was merely the beginning of the Five Transformations. Both Zhang Zhihang, who appeared before, and Xia Army, now, were Earth Emperor Martial Artists. 'With my strength at the Thunder Tribulation Realm, am I any match for an Earth Emperor Martial Artist?'

Strength.

No matter where he went, no matter when, strength was the most important thing. Everything else was bullshit.

「The next morning.」

Long Ao didn't linger in Nebula City. Instead, he headed for Thunder City. After much deliberation, Long Ao decided to go to Thunder City to find Ouyang Zhong. He knew very well that if Ouyang Zhong was allowed to recover from his injuries, forget about himself, his family alone would be in great trouble.

Even though he was extremely reluctant to tear off all pretenses with the Thunder Royal Family, Long Ao knew he had to take the gamble.

In heading to the Thunder Royal Family this time, Long Ao considered two points.

First, he didn't know when Ouyang Zhong's injuries would heal. Every minute he saved gave him a better chance.

Second, in three months, he had to go to the Ghost King Sect. Therefore, before heading to the Ghost King Sect, he had to resolve the matter with Ouyang Zhong and not leave any trouble or danger for his family.

「Thunder City.」

The moment Long Ao entered Thunder City, he was already being watched by the major families, including the Thunder Royal Family. After all, the current Long Ao was very famous. The news that he had overcome his Thunder Tribulation, severely wounded Ouyang Zhong, and slaughtered an army of a million with a single strike had sent shockwaves through Celestial State.

In Thunder City, besides the Thunder Royal Family, there were three major families that formed a tripod of power: the Fourth Level Long Family, the Jiang Family, and the Duanmu Clan.

Shortly after entering Thunder City, Duanmu Lin and Jiang Jun had come looking for trouble, only to be crippled by Long Ao. In the past, the Duanmu Family and the Jiang Family would certainly not have let the matter rest. But given the current situation, both families chose to remain silent, not daring to seek trouble with Long Ao.

As for Long Ao, less than four hours after entering Thunder City, he was greeted by his first old acquaintance, Long Yili.

Back then, Long Yili had made a deal with Long Ao: if Long Ao could kill Long Jing, he would give him a Ten-Thousand-Year Blood Ganoderma. The deal was a success, and the two had had no contact since.

Because of this, Long Ao was very curious. 'Why on earth is Long Yili looking for me now?'

Everyone knew about Long Ao's conflict with the Nebula Royal Family. Furthermore, an unknown source had spread the news that Ouyang Zhong was hiding with the Thunder Royal Family. Any discerning person could see that Long Ao and the Thunder Royal Family were definitely at odds. 'Since that's the case, isn't Long Yili afraid of the Thunder Royal Family by coming here this time?'

「Inside the tavern.」

Only Long Ao and Long Yili were in the luxurious tavern. Neither spoke; they just drank their wine.