War God Long Ao

"Do you know the consequences of refusing my Flame Sect?"

Huo Teng. Long Ao had never heard the name before.

In any case, Long Ao wasn't very familiar with the Wind and Cloud Ranking, but he knew one thing for sure—the Momentum emanating from the Flame Sect's Young Sect Leader before him was clearly that of an Earth Emperor Martial Artist.

In other words, Huo Teng was a genuine Earth Emperor Martial Artist.

'Could Huo Teng be on the Wind and Cloud Ranking too?'

"Huo Teng, since Long Ao is unwilling to join the Flame Sect, there's no need to force him." As the words were spoken, a young man approached from nearby with a sneer on his face. It was Xia Army, the Young Sect Leader of the Thunder Sect.

The Six Great Sects were the Ghost King Sect, the Blood Sea Sect, the Wind and Thunder Sect, the Golden Sun Sect, the Flame Sect, and the Thunder Sect.

As was well known, among the Six Great Sects, the Thunder Sect and the Flame Sect were the strongest. That was why they dominated the Celestial State Mortal World and established the so-called Flame Empire and Thunder Empire.

The Flame Sect and the Thunder Sect vied for power, both openly and in secret, each wishing to destroy the other. But after so many years, neither could gain an advantage.

Seeing Xia Army suddenly appear, Huo Teng's face darkened, his expression turning utterly foul.

"Xia Army, this is Flame Sect territory, not the Thunder Sect's domain. Do you not want to leave here alive?"

"Ooh, I'm so scared. I almost forgot—you're the renowned Huo Teng. Not only an Earth Emperor Martial Artist, but also ranked fifth on the Hundred Battles Ranking."

'Fifth on the Hundred Battles Ranking, and an Earth Emperor Martial Artist?'

Long Ao was no fool. He knew, of course, that Xia Army's words were meant for him.

This was why Long Ao was somewhat surprised. Including Zhang Zhihang, he had now met a total of three Earth Emperors: Zhang Zhihang from the Golden Sun Sect, ranked third on the Hundred Battles Ranking; Xia Army from the Thunder Sect, ranked fourth on the Hundred Battles Ranking; and Huo Teng from the Flame Sect, ranked fifth on the Hundred Battles Ranking.

Long Ao understood even more clearly that Zhang Zhihang, Huo Teng, and Xia Army were all exceptional prodigies. After all, to be listed on the Hundred Battles Ranking—let alone in the top five—one could only imagine how formidable they were.

"Huo Teng, we've known each other for years. There's no need for this. Long Ao won't be joining your Flame Sect."

"What, so he'll join your Thunder Sect?"

Xia Army smiled, then turned to Long Ao and asked, "Long Ao, I am now officially inviting you. Will you join my Thunder Sect?"

'The Thunder Sect?'

Long Ao knew that the Thunder Sect was the backer of the Thunder Empire. If he joined the Thunder Sect, there would surely be trouble in the future.

'I know it will cause trouble down the line, so why should I join the Thunder Sect now?'

After a moment's thought, Long Ao gave a wry smile and said, "As I just mentioned, I enjoy my freedom, so I won't be joining any Sect."

As if he had already expected it, Xia Army wasn't the least bit angry. "Fine, I respect your choice. Huo Teng, you heard him. Long Ao isn't willing to join any Sect. You can leave now."

With one last, deep look, Huo Teng sneered. "Long Ao. The mountains remain and the rivers flow on. We'll meet again."

Watching the retreating figure, Xia Army scoffed, "Long Ao, don't pay him any mind."

'Easy for you to say. After all, Huo Teng was an Earth Emperor Martial Artist with the entire Flame Sect behind him. Ignoring him was practically impossible.'

"Long Ao, you really won't consider joining the Thunder Sect?"

Before Long Ao could speak, Xia Army continued, "Long Ao, forgive me for being blunt, but your talent and potential are truly the greatest I've ever seen. However, an individual's power is always limited. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

'Long Ao had never really thought about it that way.'

"Long Ao, trust me, as you attract more and more trouble, you'll start to realize that no matter how powerful you become, if you encounter a truly strong enemy, you won't be able to guarantee your family's safety, let alone your own."

Long Ao nodded, not trying to hide his agreement on this point.

"Long Ao, even if you don't want to join the Thunder Sect, I'd still like to offer a piece of advice. As you work to increase your own strength, think about your family."

"By the way, I'm aware of the conflict between you and the Thunder Royal Family. Before coming here, I informed them that from now on, the Thunder Royal Family is not to interfere in the conflict between you and the Nebula Royal Family."

"Thank you."

'I'm not sure what he's after, but at the end of the day, Xia Army just solved a huge problem for me.'

"Think nothing of it. I have some business to attend to, so I'll be leaving. If you ever need anything, you can come find me at the Thunder Sect or just send word. And remember, Huo Teng is a treacherous man."

Watching Xia Army leave, Long Ao's expression was grim.

It wasn't because he was afraid of Huo Teng. It was because what Xia Army had just said was true. No matter how strong he became, he would always encounter even stronger enemies. If things went on like this, his family's safety could never be guaranteed.

'My family.'

Long Ao clenched his fists. He knew that from this moment on, he had to not only increase his own strength, but also the strength of his family.

'It all came down to the same thing. He couldn't stay with his family forever. Only if the family itself became strong could he guarantee nothing bad would happen to them.'

'The Spirit Ball.'

Long Ao's soul entered the Dragon Seal Space, and he got straight to the point. "Long Fu, from now on, I want you to set aside half, or even a third, of the souls I capture and store them for me in the Spirit Ball."

"Master, why?" Long Fu seemed very curious. He didn't know what was wrong with his master, or why he would suddenly want to set aside half or a third of the souls. After all, that was no small amount.

"Long Fu, I'm not just fighting for myself. I have a family. If anything were to happen to them, I would blame myself for the rest of my life. So, I've made up my mind. No matter what, my priority is to raise my family's strength."

Long Fu didn't seem to understand the concept of family. From his perspective, as long as his master was powerful enough, everything else was nonsense. But since his master had spoken, he couldn't possibly refuse.

Nodding, Long Fu said, "Rest assured, Master. I will begin storing the refined power in the Spirit Ball. But Master, if you truly want to protect your family, your own strength must come first. Otherwise, everything else is for naught."

Long Ao nodded. He had already considered this. Both he and his family had to increase their strength as quickly as possible. He understood one truth perfectly: to survive in this dog-eat-dog world, you had to have the stronger fist. Otherwise, you would be persecuted at every turn. That was true not just for his family, but for himself as well.