War God Long Ao

Miao Cheng was no fool. Even if he chose to self-destruct, he would drag Long Ao down with him.

The Heaven and Earth's Momentum vanished, and the tornado dissipated along with it.

When the two reappeared before the crowd, everyone's expression changed drastically. Without a second thought, they all scattered and fled, completely forgetting about watching the show.

No one had expected that Miao Cheng would actually choose to self-destruct in the end.

After all, the self-destruction of a Taoist Ancestor Peak Martial Artist would unleash an explosion powerful enough to obliterate everything. No one wanted to die, and certainly, no one wanted to be caught in the crossfire.

In the blink of an eye, the once-crowded scene was instantly deserted.

Huo Teng, Xia Jun, and Dugu Bai stared blankly at the two. Seizing the opportunity, Huo Teng shot forward and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Under normal circumstances, Huo Teng would never have been able to escape. But things were different now. After all, Miao Cheng had chosen to self-destruct and was holding Long Ao in a death grip. If Long Ao couldn't break free, they would both perish.

Just as Dugu Bai and Xia Jun were about to rush in to help, Long Ao suddenly roared, "Stay back!"

"Brother Dugu, Brother Xia, get out of here, now! I have a way to escape. Go!"

Long Ao was a miraculous young man. In just a few short months, he had already grown to such a level. Sometimes, the two of them found it hard to fathom the miracles that surrounded him.

Long Ao was also a young man who created miracles.

Dugu Bai and Xia Jun made the most difficult decision of their lives. After a long, hard look at Long Ao, they finally chose to leave, not wanting to be a burden to him.

Everyone had left.

Not a single one remained.

"Hahaha! Long Ao, I have to admit, your talent and strength are enough to look down on all your peers. If you were allowed to mature, you could surely sweep across all of Kyushu. But you won't get that chance."

'Sweep across all of Kyushu...' Even if a part of Miao Cheng refused to admit it, he knew with certainty that Long Ao's talent was enough to surpass any of his generation and look down upon all of Kyushu.

It was for this very reason that even in death, Miao Cheng had to take someone with him.

This was Miao Cheng's mentality. And because of it, the fate of his path in the Martial Arts had been sealed for this lifetime.

It had to be said that Miao Cheng's mentality had warped.

The aura radiating from Miao Cheng grew increasingly terrifying. Self-destruction was a choice most Martial Artists would never make, not even in death. The reason was simple: when a Martial Artist chose to self-destruct, not only their physical body but even their soul would be annihilated by Heaven and Earth.

On the Celestial Martial Continent, all Martial Artists believed in the Path of Reincarnation. They believed that after death, a person's soul could enter the Path of Reincarnation and be reincarnated.

No one knew if Reincarnation was real, but most still chose to believe.

'What should I do?'

Feeling the ever-intensifying aura from Miao Cheng, Long Ao knew that once he truly self-destructed, even he would die without a doubt. There would be no chance of survival.

Long Ao summoned all his strength, trying to break free from Miao Cheng's grip.

But at this moment, Miao Cheng had already thrown everything to the wind, determined to perish with Long Ao. How could he possibly loosen his grip? Besides, he had already reached the tipping point and could self-destruct at any second.

The self-destruction of a Taoist Ancestor Peak Martial Artist—body and soul combined—was terrifyingly powerful. Otherwise, everyone wouldn't have fled just now as if it were the end of the world.

It was no use. Long Ao simply couldn't break free from Miao Cheng's grasp. He could only channel all the power in his body and once again use Heaven and Earth Mourn Together.

His Self-Created Martial Skill: Heaven and Earth Mourn Together.

Long Ao hoped to use his Self-Created Martial Skill, Heaven and Earth Mourn Together, to forcibly break free from Miao Cheng's grip. In other words, he was out of time. His life depended on this single move.

With himself at the center, Long Ao instantly began to spin, frantically absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. This formed a massive tornado that once again enveloped them both.

Heaven and Earth Mourn Together.

Suppressed by the powerful Heaven and Earth's Momentum, Miao Cheng finally let go of Long Ao. Without a shred of hesitation, Long Ao spun around and shot forward with the greatest speed he had ever mustered.

But at that exact moment, Miao Cheng's body—along with his soul—exploded. The terrifying power scattered in every direction, directly engulfing Long Ao.

If not for the momentum from Heaven and Earth Mourn Together helping him block half the force of the self-destruction, that blast alone would have been enough to take Long Ao's life.

Between Heaven and Earth Mourn Together and Miao Cheng's self-destruction, the heavens dimmed and the sun and moon seemed to spin in reverse.

「Celestial State, Ghost King Sect.」

"Mrs. Gu, am I really not Father's daughter?"

Even now, Ao Xue couldn't seem to accept the truth. The father who had loved and doted on her for twenty years had suddenly told her she wasn't his biological child. Anyone in her position would find it impossible to accept.

Mrs. Gu had been Ao Xue's wet nurse since she was a child. Ao Xue's own mother had left when she was three, and her whereabouts remained unknown to this day.

Seeing the sorrow on the young miss's face, Mrs. Gu's heart ached as well. "Miss," she said through tears, "how could you not be the Sect Leader's daughter? I saw you being born with my own two eyes. I shouldn't be telling you this, but now that things have come to this, I have no choice but to tell you the truth."

Ao Xue immediately stopped crying and stared intently at her wet nurse. 'Is there some hidden story behind this?'

"Miss, there is something you don't know. The Sect Leader is a prodigy of his generation, and his lifelong wish is to lead the Ghost King Sect to rule over the Celestial State. After so many years of meticulous planning, the Sect finally has the power to pursue that goal. But you can never be too careful. If the Sect Leader were to fail, he would fall into a state of eternal damnation, so..."

"That's enough."

Ao Xue didn't want to hear any more. She already understood why her father had said those things; it was all for her sake. 'But why does Father always have to go after Long Ao?'

"You may leave."

Startled by the Sect Leader's sudden appearance, Mrs. Gu didn't dare to linger for a second longer and quickly departed.

"Ao Xue," Ao Tian began, not knowing what to say. He entered the room, sat down, and patted the spot beside him. "Ao Xue," he said softly, "come sit. Let's talk."

There's no such thing as an overnight feud between a father and daughter. No matter how many grievances Ao Xue held against her father, he was still her father. That was one thing that would never change, no matter what.

"Father, why did you do that?"

"Mrs. Gu already told you. I don't want to repeat myself. I have waited twenty years for this opportunity. If I cannot become the master of the Celestial State, I would rather die."

For some reason, as Ao Xue looked at the father beside her, he suddenly seemed very distant. He had planned for twenty long years, all to become the master of the Celestial State. And her? She hadn't known a thing.