War God Long Ao

Flame City.

As the Imperial Capital of the Flame Empire, Flame City was exceptionally prosperous.

Here, one could easily run into powerful Martial Artists, and even a moment of carelessness could lead to a mysterious death.

Stepping into Flame City, Long Ao did not let his guard down in the slightest. He knew with perfect clarity that a powerful enemy awaited him within the city—the so-called Ye Family.

"Brother Long, long time no see. I trust you've been well."

Just after seeing off Linghu Ning and Bing Hun, a young man in a yellow robe approached him, looking dashing and forthright.

"So it's Crown Prince Dongfang."

This was Dongfang Suo, the Crown Prince of the Flame Royal Family. He had led the Flame Empire in the battle between the two empires. However, in that contest, the Flame Empire had been defeated due to the sudden emergence of the dark horse, Long Ao.

Normally, Dongfang Suo should have been furious at the sight of Long Ao. Yet now, he was acting as if he were meeting an old friend.

This was precisely why Long Ao grew even more vigilant. He knew that people like Dongfang Suo, who hid a knife behind a smile, were the most terrifying.

"Brother Long, what brings you to Flame City this time?"

"I'm looking for Spirit Grass."

Long Ao made no attempt to hide his purpose. He smiled and asked in return, "Could it be that Crown Prince Dongfang can help me find them?"

"I'll have to take a look first."

Without any ceremony, Long Ao took a piece of paper from his robes. Seeing the densely packed list of Spirit Grass names, Dongfang Suo said confidently, "Three hours. I can get all of these for you. How many sets do you need?"

Long Ao wasn't the least bit surprised. After all, Dongfang Suo was the Crown Prince of the Flame Empire. His status alone put him in a completely different league.

"Crown Prince Dongfang, I was only joking."

Waving his hand, Dongfang Suo said, "I'm not one for jokes. Brother Long, I sincerely want to be friends with you. I will have someone deliver the items to you later."

Without giving Long Ao a chance to say another word, Dongfang Suo turned and quickly departed.

Long Ao's expression turned a little grim. As the saying goes, accepting a gift puts one in the giver's debt. He had never expected Dongfang Suo to agree so readily.

'Dongfang Suo... an incredibly sinister character.'

「In the distance.」

"Crown Prince, is a minor figure like Long Ao really worth us going to such lengths to win over?"

"Hmph. Long Ao has grown this powerful in just a few short months. It's truly terrifying. The Thunder Empire and the Nebula Kingdom are fools, but my Flame Empire is not. If we can recruit this person, I believe he will one day become a great pillar of our Flame Empire."

Staring intently at the distant black-robed, white-haired youth, Dongfang Suo suddenly let out a cold laugh.

After finding an inn and settling in for the time being, Long Ao immediately entered a state of Cultivation. This time, with Long Fu's help, his Cultivation had successfully broken through to the Transformation Realm. However, the Transformation Realm was also divided into three stages.

First Transformation, Second Transformation, and Third Transformation. Only after undergoing the Third Transformation could one be qualified to advance and become a Human King Martial Artist.

Advancing from the Transformation Realm to the Human King Realm seemed simple, but in reality, it was fraught with difficulties.

Long Ao's current Cultivation had officially reached the so-called First Transformation. There was only one thing left to do: use the power within his body to temper his entire being. This step was ten times more difficult than achieving the First Transformation.

The gap between the First Transformation and the Second Transformation was vast—immensely so.

The Ye Family, one of the three great families of Flame City.

Ye Yidao, the Ye Family's super genius, had been killed by Long Ao. The Ye Family had brooded over this matter ever since. If Long Ao had remained far away in Thunder City, the Ye Family likely wouldn't have acted. But now, Long Ao's arrival in Flame City had given them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

The Ye Family had no Transformed Martial Artists overseeing them, but they did have several Unity Martial Artists. The information the Ye Family had obtained indicated that Long Ao was merely a Unity Martial Artist. Therefore, they believed that by ganging up on him two-on-one, or even three-on-one, they could surely kill him.

For this very reason, the Ye Family directly dispatched three of their Unity Martial Artists to hunt down and kill Long Ao.

「Inside the inn.」

Long Ao was sitting on his bed, quietly cultivating. But at that moment, three human shadows suddenly arrived one after another. The three men in black were completely covered, with even their noses concealed.

'It seems the Ye Family is quite wary of me,' Long Ao thought. 'Otherwise, the three of them wouldn't have bothered with disguises and would have attacked openly.'

Looking at the three black-clad men before him—three Unity Martial Artists—Long Ao didn't even need to think to guess their identities. He asked in a cold voice, "The Ye Family?"

"Hahaha, Long Ao, today is the day you die."

"Just the three of you?"

"Hahaha." Hearing Long Ao's words was like hearing the most ridiculous thing in the world. Although he couldn't see their faces, Long Ao knew with certainty that the three men's faces were filled with scorn and contempt.

"Long Ao, I have to admit, you're incredibly arrogant. But arrogance requires the power to back it up. Even if you were able to kill Ye Yidao, in our hands, you will surely die today."

As they spoke, the three shot forward, but were sent flying back even faster. Given Long Ao's current strength, he could have easily crushed these three insignificant Unity Martial Artists with a single finger.

There was no need for further questions. Since Long Ao had already guessed their identities, he naturally wouldn't waste any more words. He annihilated the three with a single palm strike and sent their souls into the Dragon Seal Space.

'The Ye Family.'

A cold smile touched the corner of his lips. Long Ao was no fool. He believed in repaying what was given, ten to one.

Long Ao did not continue his Cultivation. He rose, left the inn, and headed toward the Ye Family estate. With his current strength, as long as he wished it, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to follow or even detect him.

The Ye Family, as one of the three great families of Flame City, possessed immense strength and a deep foundation.

As a martial artist in the Transformation Realm, Long Ao slipped into the Ye Family estate without a sound, slaughtered all their remaining Unity Martial Artists, and then swiftly departed.

Long Ao had come and gone like a ghost, leaving no trace. It wasn't until the next morning that the Ye Family fell into utter chaos, for all six of their Unity Martial Artists had been slaughtered—including the three who had gone out.

The Ye Family had already guessed who was responsible, but they had no concrete evidence. Moreover, the fact that Long Ao could slaughter six Unity Martial Artists without anyone knowing had made his power abundantly clear.

The Ye Family were not fools. They certainly knew that with their current strength, they were no match for Long Ao. Furthermore, with all six of their only Unity Martial Artists now dead, they believed the other families would surely not pass up such a golden opportunity. Forget dealing with Long Ao—even fending off the other families would now be a massive headache.