War God Long Ao

Red Heaven Realm.

Long Ao lay quietly in a massive crater. After an unknown amount of time, he groaned in pain and slowly opened his eyes.

'Am I dead? Huh? Have I already gone to Hell?'

Long Ao knew very well that with Miao Cheng's strength at the Taoist Peak, he shouldn't have stood a chance. Once Miao Cheng chose to self-destruct and drag Long Ao down with him, there was no way he could have survived.

That was why Long Ao assumed he was already dead and that his soul had entered Hell.

After a few minutes, Long Ao realized something was wrong. He was still alive, but he was severely injured. The slightest movement sent excruciating pain through his body.

'I'm not dead?'

'I'm not dead?'

Long Ao was absolutely ecstatic. He had never imagined he would actually survive; he'd been sure that he and Miao Cheng had died together.

But Long Ao didn't dare to move. Any slight motion brought a wave of pain so intense it felt as if someone were methodically dragging a knife across his entire body.

'Is Long Fu calling me?'

Curious, Long Ao's soul connected with the Dragon Seal and entered the Dragon Seal Space.

"Long Fu, was it you who saved me?"

"No, Master. You were far too reckless this time. Fortunately, the Martial Arts technique you created manifested Heaven and Earth's Momentum, which suppressed half of the self-detonation's power. Otherwise, I believe you would no longer be with us."

'So that's what happened.'

Even Long Ao hadn't expected that Heaven and Earth's Momentum could suppress half the power of a Taoist Ancestor's self-detonation. 'What does that even imply? That's incredible.'

"I was indeed reckless this time." Long Ao knew he had been impulsive. Luck had played a huge part; otherwise, just as Long Fu said, he would already be dead.

From start to finish, Long Ao had never imagined that Miao Cheng would choose to self-destruct.

"Master, your injuries are very serious. Based on my estimates, you'll need at least a month to recuperate. You shouldn't wander around during this period. If you run into a powerful enemy, you could be in serious trouble."

Long Ao nodded. He was well aware of the severity of his injuries.

'In any case, I'm already inside the Red Heaven Realm. In all likelihood, the Kyushu's Tempestuous Battle has already begun. If I encounter a powerful expert now, the consequences will be dire.'

Still, Long Ao wasn't overly concerned. He was confident that as long as he didn't run into a Taoist Ancestor Martial Artist, he could handle any other challenge.

After all, Long Ao still had his twelve Giant Python Corpse Slaves. Each one was a genuine Earth Emperor Realm cultivator. Working together, they could sweep aside anyone below the Taoist Ancestor Realm.

Lying in the crater, Long Ao didn't move, focusing on recuperating in silence.

"Big Brother, what do we do now?"

"We find a place to hide, of course. We'll come back out after the Kyushu's Tempestuous Battle is officially over."

Just then, Long Ao heard three people approaching. They were all Human King Martial Artists. While they might be considered experts under normal circumstances, Human King Martial Artists were nothing special in the Kyushu's Tempestuous Battle, where Earth Emperors and Taoist Ancestors were a dime a dozen.

All three were Human King Martial Artists from the Chizhou Wang Family. They were three brothers: the eldest, Wang Bo; the second, Wang Tong; and the youngest, Wang Lin.

The three brothers were cowards who clung desperately to life. They hadn't wanted to enter the Red Heaven Realm for some 'Kyushu's Tempestuous Battle,' but they ultimately participated due to pressure from their family.

Even though they were participating, the brothers had no intention of competing for a rank. As far as they were concerned, leaving the Red Heaven Realm safely was all that mattered. 'To hell with rankings, to hell with face. What does any of that have to do with us?'

As the three brothers approached the crater, they suddenly saw Long Ao inside. They were startled at first, then spun around in terror, ready to flee.

But just then, Wang Bo held up a hand, stopping his two younger brothers. A look of delighted surprise crossed his face as he said, "Wait. Isn't that the guy who fought Miao Cheng? Didn't they kill each other?"

"That's right, Big Brother. You mean...?"

"Hahaha! The heavens are on our side! Miao Cheng chose to self-destruct and drag this guy down with him, but who would have thought he'd actually survive? It's a miracle! And a lucky break for us. Someone this powerful... I can guarantee he has some incredible Treasure on him."

Treasure?

Hearing their older brother's words, greedy expressions instantly appeared on the faces of both Wang Tong and Wang Lin. The three brothers turned back around. Looking at Long Ao in the crater, they chuckled sinisterly and said, "Hey, friend. You doing okay?"

"Get lost."

How could Long Ao not know what they were thinking? 'Trying to rob me while I'm down?'

"Hahaha! Still so arrogant, even at death's door. But you know, kid, I really like your attitude."

Would the three of them have dared to act like this if Long Ao weren't injured?

If Long Ao hadn't been injured, the sight of him alone would have sent them running faster than rabbits.

Seeing that Long Ao was half-dead, the three Wang family brothers were overcome by greed and began walking step-by-step toward the crater.

'After a few hours of recuperating, I feel much better, but I still can't fight. If I try, not only will I fail to kill them, I'll probably just make my injuries worse. Then I'll be in real trouble.'

Long Ao's eyes turned icy as he sneered, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"You want to kill us?"

"Hahaha! Hahaha!" Hearing Long Ao's words, the three brothers burst into wild laughter, as if they had just heard the most ridiculous thing in the world.

'A dying man actually had the gall to threaten to kill the three of them. This guy was either out of his mind or had been kicked in the head by a donkey.'

The three were curious what could possibly give this kid so much courage. In his current state, they didn't even need to team up. Any one of them could have easily snuffed him out.

"Kill him."

Wang Bo hesitated no longer. The Kyushu's Tempestuous Battle had already begun, and who knew if or when they might run into a powerful foe. The faster they acted, the better. Once they dealt with the guy in the crater, they planned to find a place to hide and wait for the Red Heaven Realm to open again so they could leave.

Wang Lin, the weakest of the three, stepped toward the crater, his face a mask of contempt and greed. "Kid," he asked, "what kind of Treasure do you have on you? Hand it over. Maybe if we feel merciful, we'll let you go."

'Hmph.' Long Ao was certain that if he handed over any Treasure, the first person to try and kill him would be this shameless bastard right here.

Wang Lin wasted no more time on words and quickened his pace toward the crater. He had just stepped inside when, before he could even react, a bloodcurdling scream erupted, and his body was sent flying backward out of the pit.