War God Long Ao

Long Ao had killed the An Family father and son. While the Long Family let the matter drop, the An Family refused to let it go.

As the head of Red Dragon City's Four Great Clans, the An Family's power was undeniable.

It was common knowledge that among the Four Great Clans, only the An Family had an ancestor who was a Venerable expert. Because of this, as soon as the An Family's ancestor learned that Long Ao had slain An Hao and Anson, he immediately left Red Dragon City.

After leaving Red Dragon City, Long Ao headed back toward Celestial State, cultivating and admiring the beautiful scenery along the way.

"Hm?"

His body swayed like the wind, dodging the murderous Sword Aura. He spoke with resignation, "Long Jing, I've already told you I didn't enter the rock garden on purpose. Why must you be so relentless?"

Gazing at the young woman who appeared behind him, Long Ao sighed to himself in frustration.

He had accidentally stumbled into the rock garden and seen Long Jing bathing. It was a complete accident, but she refused to forgive him and had been hunting him down this entire time, forcing him to be constantly on guard.

If she were an enemy, Long Ao would have struck to kill long ago without wasting a single word. But Long Jing's identity was special. After all, she was Long Potian's biological sister.

"Hmph! You damned pervert! I swear I won't rest until the day I kill you."

Hearing her words, Long Ao could only feel helpless. He paid her no mind, catching some wild game and starting to roast it. Before long, the savory aroma of cooked meat drifted through the air.

Long Ao and Long Jing stood more than twenty meters apart in silence. While Long Ao roasted the game, Long Jing quietly stared at the Sharp Sword in her hand, flicking it occasionally. Her intent was clear.

"It's ready. Smells amazing."

Glancing at Long Jing nearby, Long Ao smiled and asked, "Want some?"

"Get lost, you pervert!"

Long Ao actually had a good impression of the young woman. He'd discovered that, aside from her somewhat headstrong personality, Long Jing was a decent person overall.

"You need energy if you want to kill me. If you keep refusing to eat, by the time you pass out from hunger... hehe."

Long Ao chuckled, his meaning perfectly clear.

Whether he was doing it on purpose or not, Long Ao had stuck to the back trails after leaving Red Dragon City, avoiding the main roads. As a result, they passed no inns or restaurants. Since Long Jing was unwilling to hunt for game, she hadn't eaten for two whole days.

Martial Artists were still human, and they needed to eat. If they went without food for too long, they would grow weak and eventually die.

Long Jing, of course, understood this perfectly well.

"Hmph."

Getting to her feet, Long Jing strode over to Long Ao's side and snorted coldly. "I'll owe you for this chicken leg, and I'll pay you back later. But don't think a piece of chicken will save your life, Long Ao. I'll still kill you whenever I get the chance."

She hadn't called him a pervert. It seemed accepting his food had softened her resolve.

Long Ao smiled resignedly. 'She's so naive, it's almost cute. An Innate Unity Martial Artist who can't even find food for herself... how interesting.'

Long Ao paid her no more mind and started eating by himself.

「A moonlit night, filled with the howls of wolves.」

Wolf howls echoed across the pitch-black, desolate mountain range. Laughably, for a dignified Innate Unity Martial Artist, Long Jing was actually terrified of her surroundings. Watching her made Long Ao's head ache.

Standing atop a large boulder and gazing into the endless void, Long Ao suddenly spoke. "You've been following me for three days. Even if you're not tired of it, I am. It's time for you to come out."

"Not bad. To be able to detect my presence... your talent is impressive indeed."

Just then, an elderly man in a blue robe slowly emerged. His face was a mess of wrinkles, and with his small eyes and large nose, he was quite ugly.

But Long Ao didn't underestimate him in the slightest, for he could clearly sense that the blue-robed man before him was a powerful Venerable.

"You're from the An Family?"

"An Feng."

'Just as I thought.' Long Ao wasn't surprised at all. He had, after all, killed an An Family father and son. If the An Family just swallowed that insult, how could they ever show their faces in Red Dragon City again?

"So, are we going to fight or not?"

An Feng seemed a little surprised by the question. He chuckled and said, "An Hao may have been wrong in a thousand ways, but he was still a disciple of the An Family. What's more, you also killed Anson. This is a debt that must be repaid."

"Then let's fight."

Simple and to the point. 'I knew this battle was inevitable,' Long Ao thought. 'Since that's the case, why waste time with idle chatter?'

"Before we fight, I would very much like to know how you obtained that Blood-Drinking Mad Saber."

Long Ao was stunned to hear An Feng mention the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. Since the day he'd acquired it, no one had ever recognized it. He had no idea how An Feng could possibly know its name.

Since the man already knew, Long Ao saw no reason to hide it. "I found it by chance," he said. "How do you know of the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber?"

With a look of both pride and longing, An Feng said wistfully, "How could I not know of it? The Blood-Drinking Mad Saber itself once belonged to the An Family."

"Bullshit."

"Hmph! Let me tell you, Long Ao, that Blood-Drinking Mad Saber in your hand once belonged to an ancestor of the An Family. Wielding it, our ancestor was unrivaled in the world. But he met an unfortunate end in an accident, and the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber was lost with him. Its whereabouts have been a mystery ever since. To think it would reappear in your hands."

Listening to An Feng and seeing the look on his face, Long Ao knew the man wasn't lying.

'Could the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber really belong to the An Family?'

"Long Ao, hand over the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, and I can spare your life. Just cut off one of your arms. How about it?"

"Hahaha! 'Spare my life?' 'Just cut off one arm?' An Feng, let me make myself perfectly clear. I don't care if the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber once belonged to your An Family. It's in my hands now, which means it's mine. If you want it back, you'll have to rely on your own strength to take it."

Before An Feng could reply, Long Ao added, "Do you think being a Venerable makes you all that? Let me be clear: in my eyes, a Venerable like you isn't even worth a chicken leg."

Hearing this, Long Jing, who was standing nearby, let out a "Pfft!" of laughter. A moment later, she remembered that she and Long Ao were supposed to be enemies and quickly stifled her mirth.

"Long Ao, I must admit, you truly are arrogant. However, the power of a Venerable is something a mere Taoist Ancestor like yourself cannot possibly comprehend. I will give you one last chance: hand over the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber, cut off your arm, and I will let you leave. Otherwise..."

Waving his hand in disgust, Long Ao cut him off. "There is no 'otherwise.' I'm not cutting off my arm, and I'm definitely not handing over the Blood-Drinking Mad Saber. What are you going to do about it?"

To be provoked again and again like this... it was simply intolerable, the kind of insult that no one could possibly endure.