Chapter 251: Kill
Seeing their third brother sent flying backward, the expressions of both Wang Bo and Wang Tong changed drastically.
Before the three of them could even figure out what was going on, a Giant Python Corpse Slave appeared, its icy eyes locked onto them.
The three had personally witnessed the battle between Long Ao and Miao Cheng, so they were no strangers to the Ice and Fire Double-headed Python. They let out a terrified shout and didn't dare to linger for a moment.
"Kill."
The icy command came from Long Ao's lips. The Giant Python Corpse Slave showed no mercy, swallowing the three of them whole.
For an Earth Emperor Python to obliterate three Human King Martial Artists was a laughably simple task.
Letting out a long sigh of relief, Long Ao was still reeling from the lingering fear. 'If Long Fu hadn't refined the twelve Giant Python Corpse Slaves in time, those three shameless bastards would have probably killed me by now.'
'Twelve Earth Emperor bodyguards... That's the real deal.'
Taking a deep breath, Long Ao managed to sit up, crossing his legs and entering a state of Cultivation.
「One month later.」
After a month of recuperation, Long Ao's injuries were ninety-nine percent healed, and his strength had returned to its peak. Now, even if he were to face a Peak Earth Emperor, he could fight and even kill them.
Confidence.
Long Ao was filled with confidence. Although his near-mutual destruction with his foe had been incredibly perilous, it came with a silver lining: his Cultivation, which had just recently broken through to the Basic Level Earth Emperor Realm, had finally advanced another Tier to the Middle Level Earth Emperor Realm.
Although Basic Level and Middle Level Earth Emperor were only one Tier apart, the difference in power between the two was immense.
Long Ao knew that with his Cultivation breaking through from Basic Level to Middle Level Earth Emperor, his personal strength would increase by one-fifth, and all his other attributes would improve as well.
At the Middle Level Earth Emperor Realm, he was only two Tiers away from the Peak Earth Emperor Realm. Long Ao knew that once his Cultivation broke through to Peak Earth Emperor, he could attempt to advance to the Taoist Ancestor Realm.
The Taoist Ancestor Realm was the peak of the Transformation Realm and the threshold to the Void Realm. Many Taoist Ancestor Martial Artists got stuck at this stage, some unable to break through the bottleneck their entire lives to reach the Void Realm.
Long Ao didn't go looking for Dugu Bai and Xia Jun. After all, the Red Heaven Realm was massive; who knew where to even start searching for them?
He had entered the Red Heaven Realm this time to participate in the Kyushu Wind and Cloud Battle and secure a good ranking. Besides bringing glory to the Celestial State, the main reason was for his own benefit.
The Kyushu Wind and Cloud Battle, after all, brought together the most powerful members of the younger generation from the entire Celestial Martial Continent. Anyone who could distinguish themselves would become truly famous throughout Kyushu.
Long Ao didn't particularly care about fame, but he wasn't averse to it either.
"Hm?"
Just as Long Ao finished slaying over thirty people and claiming their thirty Soul Orders, his brow furrowed. He sensed a faint, almost imperceptible aura behind him, locked tightly onto his position.
Long Ao didn't make a rash move. He could clearly sense that the moment he moved, his opponent would strike. In any case, he had yet to gauge the other party's true strength.
Long Ao could clearly sense the power of the other's aura. "Since you're already here," he called out, "why not show yourself?"
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.
"Very impressive. Among our peers, very few can detect my presence. You're the most capable one I've met. My name is Long Potian. And if I'm not mistaken, you are Long Ao, correct?"
'Long Potian?'
Hearing the man announce his own name, Long Ao was stunned. The name Long Potian was not at all unfamiliar to him.
Long Potian was number one on the Chizhou Wind and Cloud Ranking, and he was even hailed as the top contender for the Kyushu Wind and Cloud Ranking. A Taoist Ancestor Peak Martial Artist, he was also known as the number one expert below the Void Realm. His power was immense.
Of the Nine Great Clans in Chizhou—the Wang, Hao, Duanmu, Long, Miao, Wei, Zhou, Fang, and Yan Families—the Long Family was not the strongest, but it had the most potential and the best chance of advancing to become a Third Level clan.
Long Potian was not only the pride of the Long Family but the pride of all of Chizhou.
Long Ao had never imagined he would run into Long Potian—the top expert on the Chizhou Wind and Cloud Ranking and the leading figure for the entire Kyushu Wind and Cloud Ranking.
"Long Ao, I watched your life-and-death battle with Miao Cheng. I have to admit, you are truly powerful. The fact that you survived his self-detonation... on that point alone, you are my superior."
Hearing Long Potian's words, Long Ao grew even more surprised. He remained silent, as he still had no idea what Long Potian was getting at. He had to admire the man, though. 'For someone of Long Potian's strength and status to admit another is his superior... I doubt anyone else could do that.'
"Long Ao, although we belong to different Long Families, in the end, we are all part of the Long Clan."
"Long Potian, what is it you want to say? Just say it."
Long Ao hated it when people beat around the bush. He knew perfectly well that Long Potian wouldn't have sought him out for no reason, yet the man was just hemming and hawing instead of getting to the point.
Long Potian chuckled. "So, you're a straightforward man. In that case, I'll get straight to the point. I've seen what you're capable of, and I'd like to ask for your help."
Long Ao didn't agree, as he had no idea what kind of favor Long Potian was about to ask.
"Long Ao, I've come to you because I want us to join forces and deal with someone together. What do you say?"
"Who?"
"The man ranked second on the Chizhou Wind and Cloud Ranking: Celestial Dog."
Long Ao was familiar with the name Celestial Dog as well. The Kyushu Wind and Cloud Ranking had a total of nine hundred people, and it was impossible to remember every single one. However, Long Ao had made sure to memorize the top three names on each state's ranking.
"Long Potian, if I recall correctly, you already fought and defeated Celestial Dog once before. With your strength, do you really need to rely on someone else's power?"
At the mention of this, Long Potian's expression soured. He said with a helpless sigh, "Long Ao, there are things you don't know. If it were just Celestial Dog alone, I would have nothing to fear. But the Celestial Dog of today is a far cry from his former self. I don't know where he found some bizarre woman, but they have cultivated a Secret Technique together. When they combine their power, their strength skyrockets instantly. With my current abilities, I am simply no match for him."
'Strength skyrockets instantly?'
Although he had never witnessed the power of Celestial Dog and this strange woman, Long Ao was certain that the principle behind their combined power burst was the same as his own Nine Needle God-Sealing. 'No wonder Long Potian came looking for me.'
Long Ao didn't even need to guess what Long Potian was implying. Celestial Dog's sudden surge in power made Long Potian feel threatened, so now he was looking for a way to eliminate him by any means necessary. 'So, should I help him or not?'
'In the end, I have no connection to Long Potian. Why should I stick my neck out for him? Besides, the power of Celestial Dog and his partner is immense. If I'm not careful, I could lose my life. Who would I turn to then?'