War God Long Ao

"Brother Long, how did it go?"

Seeing Long Ao return safely, both Bing Hun and Linghu Ning let out a long sigh of relief. As for what had happened with Bing Hun, neither of them said a word.

Long Ao didn't say much about the Godslaying Mirror. He just smiled and said, "I was just running a little experiment with those two. The results were pretty good."

'Using those two for an experiment?'

'The results were pretty good?'

Upon hearing this, both Bing Hun and Linghu Ning were baffled. They had no idea what Long Ao was up to.

After all, Du Yunxuan and Du Hexuan were both bona fide Earth Emperor Martial Artists, while Long Ao was merely at the Transformation Realm. Anyone else would have done anything to stay far away from them. But Long Ao? He did the exact opposite, actively seeking them out to use them for an experiment.

If they hadn't heard Long Ao say it with their own ears, they never would have believed it.

"Alright, let's continue our training."

Seeing that Long Ao didn't want to say more, they didn't press the issue. That's how friends should be. They knew perfectly well what topics to pursue and what to let go of.

Long Ao, Linghu Ning, and Bing Hun were all incredibly powerful. As long as they didn't encounter a Human King Level Spirit Beast, the three of them working together could end any fight quickly and decisively.

In just two short days, the trio had slain nearly a hundred Spirit Beasts, including three that were at the Transformation Realm.

The souls of these Spirit Beasts were all sent into the Dragon Seal Space, while the corpses and Beast Pills were placed into a Qiankun Bag that Linghu Ning had prepared beforehand.

"Brother Long, Bing Hun, look."

Looking where Linghu Ning pointed, Long Ao and Bing Hun were also somewhat surprised. In the distance, two dark-furred tigers—one large, one small—were being besieged by a group of Flame Demon Apes. The smaller one was clearly just a cub.

The massive black tiger was beginning to falter and looked as if it could collapse at any moment.

It was obvious the two black tigers were mother and son. The mother had sustained such heavy injuries to protect her cub; otherwise, with her strength alone, she would have broken out of the siege long ago.

"Brother Long, we should go. It's best not to get involved in this kind of trouble."

Linghu Ning had no desire to invite trouble. There were more than twenty Flame Demon Apes, every one of them a Transformation Spirit Beast. Even if the three of them wanted to help, they likely wouldn't be strong enough.

But for some reason, watching the little cub frantically trying to dodge the attacks stirred a feeling of compassion in Long Ao.

Even Long Ao himself didn't know what had come over him.

"Brother Linghu, Bing Hun, wait for me back at the cave. I'll be right back."

Linghu Ning and Bing Hun knew exactly what Long Ao intended to do. They protested in unison, "Brother Long, you absolutely can't! It's not worth risking your life for two Spirit Beasts."

Waving a hand, Long Ao dismissed their concerns. Once he decided on something, he rarely changed his mind.

Long Ao also knew what the Flame Demon Apes' strength signified. Neither Bing Hun nor Linghu Ning was a match for them. That was precisely why Long Ao prepared to act alone.

After giving Long Ao a deep look, Bing Hun and Linghu Ning said no more. They knew his personality well. Without another word, they turned and left.

Ultimately, Linghu Ning and Bing Hun had great confidence in Long Ao; otherwise, they wouldn't have left so readily. After all, if Long Ao could defeat even Zhang Zhihang, what was a group of Flame Demon Apes to him?

Once the two had left, Long Ao hesitated no longer. He didn't know how much longer the two black tigers could last.

'The Nine Nether Earth Tiger, one of the most formidable Spirit Beasts.'

The Nine Nether Spider and the Nine Nether Earth Tiger belonged to the same species, but their strengths were vastly different. It was much like the Giant Dragon Race and the Dragon Snake race; though they were related, their power and Level were not the same.

THUD.

The mother was struck repeatedly by the Flame Demon Apes and sent flying backward. Just as the apes were about to attack the small cub, Long Ao arrived and scooped it up.

Seeing a human suddenly appear, the Flame Demon Apes flew into a rage. They shrieked and attacked Long Ao, one after another, in a relentless barrage.

One Flame Demon Ape wasn't frightening, but more than twenty of them attacking at once—all at the Transformation Realm—was a different story.

Though he had absolute confidence in himself, Long Ao also knew his limits. Cradling the small cub, he did not abandon its mother. 'A mother who would sacrifice herself for her child is the greatest of all.'

Supporting the injured mother, Long Ao turned and beat a hasty retreat. With his speed, the Flame Demon Apes surely couldn't catch him. After sprinting for several minutes, he saw that the apes had given up the chase, and only then did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

「Back at the cave.」

Seeing that Long Ao had rescued the two Nine Nether Earth Tigers, his friends were at a loss for words. They stood quietly to the side, letting Long Ao handle it.

SQUEAK, SQUEAK, SQUEAK.

Looking at the mother, collapsed on the ground and breathing her last, Long Ao realized he couldn't understand the language of Spirit Beasts. He had to rely on Long Qiang to convey the mother's meaning.

After Long Qiang relayed her words,

Long Ao finally understood the mother's request. It was simple: she didn't have long to live and hoped he would take care of her child. She also wanted all of her power to be transferred to the cub after she died.

Finally, just as she was about to pass, the mother told Long Ao one last secret: she possessed a Venerable Spirit Beast Golden Core. If he gave it to her child to consume, the little cub would be able to mature in a very short amount of Time.

"Rest assured, I will take good care of this little one. You are a great mother."

Without hesitation, Long Ao immediately transferred all of the mother's power to the little cub. As for the Venerable Spirit Beast Golden Core, he sent it into the Dragon Seal Space for Long Fu to handle its Refinement. That way, there would be no danger, and it would also better aid the little one's advancement.

Picking up the small cub, Long Ao said dotingly, "You'll be with me from now on. You are a Nine Nether Earth Tiger, and from now on, your name is Long Ming."

Long Qiang and Long Ming. One a dragon, one a tiger.

WHIMPER, WHIMPER, WHIMPER...

Watching the little creature sob, Long Ao didn't have to guess to know it was heartbroken over its mother's death. He sighed inwardly and gave Linghu Ning a meaningful look.

Linghu Ning understood instantly and took the Nine Nether Earth Tiger's corpse to be buried.

"Don't worry, little one. I will definitely get revenge for you."

As if it understood Long Ao's words, the little cub whimpered and nodded, looking exceptionally cute. Although Long Ming's body was small, its strength was already formidable; it had officially reached the Innate Realm. Once it consumed the Venerable Spirit Beast Golden Core, its strength was sure to break through again. Even reaching the Thunder Tribulation Realm would not be a problem.

Furthermore, Long Ao also formed a contract with the little one, exactly like the one he had with Long Qiang.