War God Long Ao

Dugu Bai and Xia Jun didn't leave Red Fire Town, instead staying with the Long Family.

Long Ao was very grateful to both Dugu Bai and Xia Jun.

Friends like these were worth having, no matter the circumstances.

Regarding the matter with Zhang Zhihang, Long Ao found his grandfather and explained everything in detail. After listening, Long Haoshi's expression also grew grim. The Golden Sun Sect was like a behemoth blocking their path.

"Ao'Er, what do you plan to do?"

"Grandfather, it's obvious someone is deliberately framing me. Regardless, the Golden Sun Sect will settle this before the Kyushu Tournament begins, so we must find a solution quickly."

Nodding, Long Haoshi said, "You're right. With Zhang Zhihang dead, Zhang Mo certainly won't delay for long. I'd say the Golden Sun Sect will make a move against you in ten days at most."

After a moment of thought, Long Haoshi continued, "Ao'Er, we only have two options right now. First, our Long Family evacuates Red Fire Town. Second, we resist the Golden Sun Sect head-on."

Long Ao didn't speak, merely listening quietly. He knew that since his grandfather had said this much, he must have already thought of a plan.

"Ao'Er, if the Golden Sun Sect attacks our family, what are our chances of holding them off?"

"Almost none."

"Right. As they say, a wise man doesn't fight a battle he knows he'll lose. There's no need for us to clash head-on with the Golden Sun Sect. We can wait until our family grows stronger in the future; it won't be too late to get revenge then. Ao'Er, what do you think?"

'Choose to retreat?'

To be honest, Long Ao was unwilling to retreat unless he had no other choice. But he knew full well that it wasn't just about him; the entire family was behind him. No matter what, he couldn't bring harm to the family.

"Grandfather, how long would it take for all of us to evacuate?"

For some reason, Long Ao felt this matter wasn't so simple. After all, Zhang Zhihang—Zhang Mo's only son—was dead, yet Zhang Mo chose to remain silent. 'Is that normal?'

This was clearly not normal, which was why Long Ao was so tense.

"Ten days."

Ten days. Long Ao's heart sank. There were less than fifteen days until the Kyushu Tournament. He was certain Zhang Mo would act before then, so ten days was far too long.

"Grandfather, we have three days at most to evacuate."

"That's nowhere near enough."

"Let's do this: just evacuate all the family members. As for our possessions, leave them all behind. As long as our people are safe, we can always make a comeback in the future."

Even now, Long Ao still couldn't figure out who had it in for him, framing him and trying to use the Golden Sun Sect's power to deal with him. This was what surprised him the most.

Kai Feng was a High Level Taoist Ancestor Martial Artist. To assassinate him without a trace was something even Dugu Bai couldn't do. If that was the case, it was easy to deduce that the killer was likely a Void Martial Artist.

That's what Long Ao couldn't understand, no matter how much he thought about it. 'If this person is so powerful, why do they need to use the Golden Sun Sect? Why not just deal with me directly?'

A Void Martial Artist... Unless the Fire Qilin itself took action, no one in the entire family could possibly be a match for them.

Long Ao and Long Haoshi discussed the matter for a full night before settling on a compromise. They would shorten the ten-day window to five. Within five days, everyone in the Long Family had to evacuate Red Fire Town.

「In the Little Courtyard House.」

Long Ao sat alone on the ground, gazing at the stars. Scenes flashed through his mind like a movie, replaying everything from the moment he left Red Fire Town until now. 'Who would want to frame me like this?'

'Who could it be?'

No matter how much he thought, Long Ao couldn't figure out who wanted to frame him. 'Could it be someone from the Six Great Sects?'

Ultimately, this was the only conclusion Long Ao could reach. In the Celestial State, the Six Sects reigned supreme over the Mortal World; they were the most powerful forces in the state. If Void Martial Artists existed anywhere, they were undoubtedly stationed within the Six Great Sects.

If that were true, then all Six Great Sects were suspects.

'Take the Golden Sun Sect. Even though Zhang Mo is the Sect Leader, he must have made powerful enemies. Maybe one of them seized the opportunity to kill Zhang Zhihang, and their intention wasn't to frame me at all.'

'The Six Great Sects—the Ghost King Sect, Blood Sea Sect, Wind and Thunder Sect, Golden Sun Sect, Flame Sect, and Thunder Sect—every one of them is a suspect. But who is it?'

「Inside the Dragon Seal Space.」

"Long Fu, if someone has been dead for eight or nine days, is there any way for you to capture their soul?"

"Impossible. Ten minutes at most."

His last glimmer of hope was extinguished. 'It seems finding out who framed me isn't going to be easy.'

"Master, are you in trouble?"

Long Ao nodded. He wouldn't hide anything from Long Fu, so he explained the entire matter in detail. After listening, Long Fu nodded silently, his face expressionless.

"Master, are you worried about the Golden Sun Sect coming to cause trouble?"

"Yes."

"Master, I am powerless in this matter. I'm sorry, I can't help you."

"Fuck," Long Ao, who rarely cursed, swore under his breath. He didn't linger, immediately leaving the Dragon Seal Space. He was in no mood for Cultivation and instead continued to mull over the problem.

「The next morning.」

Before Long Ao could figure out who had framed him, Long Haoshi anxiously sought him out and said, getting straight to the point, "Ao'Er, this morning, both the Thunder Sect and the Ghost King Sect publicly announced that, from this day forward, they will protect our Red Fire Town. With the protection of two Major Sects, I believe even the Golden Sun Sect won't dare to act recklessly."

'The Thunder Sect and the Ghost King Sect?'

Long Ao seemed surprised, but he didn't look pleased. On the contrary, his expression grew even more grim. He'd had a feeling that something was off about this whole affair, and now it felt even more so. As for what exactly was wrong, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Ao'Er, the Thunder Sect and the Ghost King Sect have stepped up to protect us. Aren't you happy about that?"

Long Haoshi was very surprised, wondering what on earth was wrong with his grandson today.

"I'm fine, Grandfather. It's just... there are some things I can't figure out." Without saying more, Long Ao retreated to the Little Courtyard House, thinking quietly to himself.

'The Thunder Sect and the Ghost King Sect... would they really be willing to go to war with the Golden Sun Sect just for me? There's no such thing as a free lunch.' Long Ao was well aware of that. Any of the Six Great Sects could be behind this, but he still didn't know who. 'A Venerable Martial Artist... I don't think I know anyone who's reached that level of power.'

He slammed his fist hard into the ground, immensely frustrated. The root of all this was his lack of strength. If he were a Venerable Martial Artist right now, what would he have to fear, even if he was framed?