Chapter 156: Shameless
"Your Majesty, for your sake, I will give Ouyang Zhong two choices."
"And what are they?"
'No matter what, Zhao Mang is still the Emperor of the Thunder Royal Family,' Long Ao thought. 'If I insist on doing things my way, I'll only end up on bad terms with them, and my clan will be in big trouble.'
'For the clan's sake, I must endure this for now.'
"First, Ouyang Zhong can sever his own arms. Second, he can face me in a fair duel one month from now—a battle to the death."
"Fine! In one month, I'll fight you. I'd like to see just what gives you the right to be so arrogant!"
Ouyang Zhong agreed without a second thought. He had been severely wounded by the Thunder Tribulation Power and needed three months to fully recover. However, he knew things had reached a critical point. If he refused the challenge and Zhao Mang chose to abandon him, he would be in deep trouble.
Ouyang Zhong didn't dare take the gamble, as Zhao Mang's attitude was extremely uncertain.
"Good. Since Brother Ouyang has agreed, then in one month, you two will fight to the death."
"Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take my leave." Long Ao rose and swiftly departed, not lingering a moment longer. Soon, he had disappeared completely.
"Your Majesty, this Long Ao must die."
Just after Long Ao left, Gu Bai returned with a sinister smile on his face. Ouyang Zhong was quite surprised, wondering what Gu Bai and Zhao Mang were plotting.
Zhao Mang also wore a sinister smile. "Brother Ouyang, I trust you know a thing or two about Long Ao's relationship with the Ghost King Sect. Therefore, we cannot kill Long Ao openly."
The Ghost King Sect?
Ouyang Zhong certainly knew of the Ghost King Sect. As one of the Six Great Sects, its power and foundation were not to be underestimated.
"Brother Zhao, even if we kill Long Ao, the Ghost King Sect is unlikely to provoke the Thunder Sect over a single person. If this boy is left alive, he will surely become a great disaster."
Zhao Mang just smiled and said nothing, but Gu Bai interjected, "Brother Ouyang, with your strength, killing Long Ao shouldn't be a difficult task."
A bitter smile touched Ouyang Zhong's lips. "I was severely wounded by the Thunder Tribulation Power and need three months to recover my strength. To be honest with you both, I have no confidence at all in my life-or-death battle with Long Ao in a month."
'For a Transformed Martial Artist to say such things...' Ouyang Zhong felt utterly disgraced, but a fact was a fact.
Gu Bai smiled and said confidently, "Brother Ouyang, we have our ways to help you."
Upon leaving the Thunder Royal Family, Long Ao's expression instantly darkened.
'Gu Bai and Zhao Mang had put on quite a show. If I hadn't been observing carefully, I might have really thought Zhao Mang had offended Gu Bai for my sake.'
Long Ao knew perfectly well that between himself and Ouyang Zhong, the Thunder Royal Family had ultimately chosen Ouyang Zhong. He had one month. This meant he had to break through to the Transformation Realm within that time. Otherwise, he would have a very hard time defeating Ouyang Zhong in their duel.
Back at the inn, Long Ao immediately entered a state of Cultivation. Before he knew it, three days had passed.
Long Yili and Long Ao chose to meet outside Thunder City. According to the location recorded on the Treasure Map, the cave with the Divine Dragon Blood was not within the borders of the Thunder Empire, but within the Flame Empire.
The Flame Empire, one of the Two Great Empires of the Celestial State, was also backed by the Flame Sect.
For many years, the Flame Empire and the Thunder Empire had been locked in a constant struggle, both overt and covert, each trying to bring the other down. The end result, however, was that both empires continued to coexist.
Ultimately, the thought of either the Flame Empire or the Thunder Empire being destroyed was inconceivable. The reason was simple: the Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect backing them.
In other words, unless the Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect ever settled their score, the Thunder Empire and the Flame Empire would remain in this state indefinitely.
The Flame Forest—the largest Spirit Beast Forest in the Flame Empire. A paradise for Spirit Beasts, a Hell for Martial Artists.
After several days of travel, Long Ao and Long Yili finally arrived. Having been here before, Long Yili was remarkably familiar with the path and encountered almost no obstacles.
Long Ao followed silently behind Long Yili, not speaking or asking any questions.
Inside an extremely secluded valley in the Flame Forest.
Long Yili moved a large boulder aside, revealing a medium-sized dark passage that stretched out of sight. "This is the cave that contains the Divine Dragon Blood," he said. "I've already tried, and I can't open the invisible Stone Gate with my strength alone. We'll have to combine our power."
'An invisible Stone Gate?'
Long Ao was curious. He reached out and touched the entrance to the dark passage. Sure enough, it was blocked by an invisible Qi Shield. No matter how much force he used, he couldn't break through it.
"Long Ao, there's no time to waste. Let's work together to break the Qi Shield."
Long Ao nodded. Since he was already here, he knew he had to obtain the Divine Dragon Blood. While it might be useless to him, it was an excellent treasure that could help Long Qiang advance.
Neither Long Ao nor Long Yili spoke again. The two of them stared intently at the invisible Qi Shield before them. Suddenly, they both struck.
Two terrifying streams of power erupted, merging mid-air into a single force that viciously slammed into the Qi Shield. The impact was silent. A look of delight flashed across Long Yili's face. Before Long Ao could even react, Long Yili shot forward like an arrow, his body vanishing into the passage.
Watching Long Yili disappear into the dark passage, Long Ao didn't feel the slightest bit of anxiety. Although this was his first time here, he had a feeling that something about this situation was out of the ordinary.
Long Ao unhurriedly entered the dark passage. Just as he stepped inside, he dodged to the side. His expression instantly turned cold. "Long Yili, you're shameless."
Long Yili, who was already inside the passage, had suddenly attacked him. A Transformed Martial Artist was a Transformed Martial Artist, after all. One could only imagine Long Yili's strength; it was completely comparable to Ouyang Zhong's.
"Long Ao, hand over your Dragon Companion, or today will be the day you die."
"In your dreams."
Long Ao was no fool. He finally understood Long Yili's intentions. First, get him to help break the Qi Shield. Second, snatch his companion, Long Qiang. Third, keep all the Divine Dragon Blood for himself.
Long Yili's attacks came one after another like rolling thunder. Even with his immense confidence, Long Ao didn't dare to block them head-on. He retreated repeatedly until he was blasted out of the dark passage by Long Yili.
Long Ao's expression was incredibly grim. He had been on high alert, wary of any tricks Long Yili might pull, but he still hadn't expected him to strike at that exact moment.
"Long Ao, you're definitely not getting any of the Divine Dragon Blood. I'm giving you one last chance. Hand over your Dragon Companion."